


Rising from the ashes of Herbay II

by Pilafchan



Series: Rising from the ashes of Herbay [2]
Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Multi, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 21
Words: 63,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27206743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pilafchan/pseuds/Pilafchan
Summary: An Amoi free from Jupiter's dictatorship is a fertile ground in which to grow and evolve. A blank page to fill with opportunities.part 1 (chapters 1-18):Living free from Jupiters Lawpart 2 (chapters 19-30 indicatively):Guy's kidnapping
Relationships: Iason Mink/Riki, Raoul Am/Guy
Series: Rising from the ashes of Herbay [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853131
Comments: 55
Kudos: 33





	1. Friends reunion

**Author's Note:**

> As I pointed out in the first part of this story, English is not my native language. This work was originally written in Italian and I decided to translate it both to give it more visibility (in Italy there are few fans of Ai No Kusabi) and to test myself with the language. I apologize for any linguistic imperfections.  
> If you haven't read the previous work yet, I recommend that you do so, it's very important to understand this new part of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

**FIRST PART: LIVING FREE FROM JUPITER'S LAW**

"Hey Riki!! Pass me some of that yellow sauce!!" Luke yelled from across the table.

Riki took the bowl and sniffed its contents curling his lips. "All yours! I really don't understand how you and Iason can eat this stuff! It's disgusting! Cal, what's its name?"

The placid brown-haired boy looked up from his plate to answer. "It's mustard, Master Riki."

"M A S T E R Riki" Sid mimicked him sarcastically "Still with these titles, Cal? What must we do to convince you to stop addressing us as if we were your superiors?"

“Uh… er… excuse me Sir Sid. No ... Sid ... I mean, only Sid." Cal blushed, and if he could he would have sunk into the pot of stew in front of his nose.

"Sid, don't bother poor Cal." Guy admonished him "He's a kid and it hasn't been a month since the new laws were passed. Give him some time!"

"Guy, this reasoning might perhaps apply to Benson, but not to Cal!" Sid insisted "He's been living out of Eos for almost two years, and for as long as Katze wasn't around, he's been leading the black market pretty much alone! We've told him a million times to stop with these subordinate appellations!"

Benson, who was sitting next to Guy, looked shyly at Cal who seemed to be holding back an outburst of tears, and sympathized with his upset. He understood his state of mind very well because it was also very difficult for him to assimilate all the changes of the last few weeks. Just the fact that he no longer had a tag on his wrist made him feel almost inadequate.

Norris, realizing the sensitive state of the former Mink family’s furniture, tried to divert the conversation. "Riki, Guy, what happened to your Blondies? Why aren't they here?"

"They had some kind of formal dinner in Parthea, a reunion between the 12 brothers." Riki answered.

"Dude, big stuff. Where are Katze and Daniel instead?" Norris asked again.

"I don't know, I invited them but they had other plans." Riki explained with a shrug "They're always busy: Katze is taking that boy a bit everywhere, he says he wants to make up for him for the lost years."

Norris also wanted to ask about Aylin and Creek, but ultimately decided to avoid that subject, especially considering Sid was there. The two youngsters, despite living a few blocks away from Riki and Iason's house, had plainly made it clear that they didn't like invitations nor company. They lived practically isolated from the world and left home only the bare minimum to get food. Sid had not been able to talk to Aylin either.

***

It was the first time that former members of Bison had gathered since the siege of Tanagura. Luke had lost a couple of phalanges in his left hand and Maxi had undergone surgery for the damage within his internal organs but had already almost fully recovered. All in all they got away with little and everyone was really satisfied with the results.

Thanks to their efforts, anyone in Ceres could now work and earn their living without the need to sneak up on the citizens of Midas or stumble out of Stout until they forgot the squalor of their own existence and the boys, instead of joining gangbands to fight and killing each other, managed to feel useful and to live in a dignified way.

Although in Midas and Tanagura most of the owners of shops and factories were still reluctant to offer employment to mongrels and former pets, seeing them with suspicion and distrust, there was also a wide range of jobs within Ceres itself, among the works construction, training institutes, agriculture, maintenance, new factories and businesses that dealt with cleaning up the city and recycling waste. These last two activities were particularly efficient, so much so that raw materials often arrived from the other two macro-sectors that were unable to dispose of them all.

Furthermore, the intergalactic cooperative of human rights had offered the possibility to those who wished to emigrate to any other planet of the coalition and was in charge of organizing and facilitating transfers.

Ceres' army had disbanded, but everyone had declared themselves available for a new call, should it be necessary.

Eos' furnitures and pets were given the choice of leaving the tower to be reintegrated into the community or remaining as regularly salaried employees - in the case of furnitures - or as protected without obligation to perform sexual services - in the case of pets. The latter, in practice, limited themselves to keeping the Elites company and to brighten up their days.

The furnitures and pets who decided to move away from Eos and become part of society, on the other hand, were included in special training programs where teachers and therapists helped them to lose the inculcated conditioning, guided them towards the choice and learning of a job and, in the case of pets, they provided to literate and give them a basic education. Throughout this period and until the achievement of economic independence, their financial support was borne by their former Masters and regulated by a special court.

Almost all the Elites, despite having the possibility to change their place of residence, had remained to live in Eos. The exceptions were Iason, who had moved with Riki and Cal to a cottage in New Ceres, not far from Gideon's which now housed Creek and Aylin, and Raoul, who had bought a mansion in the north of Mistral Park and moved there with Guy and Benson. They had chosen that area because it was a good compromise, close to both Ceres and Tanagura.

When it was recorded that Lord Mink had returned from the world of the dead, all the properties and accounts that had been inherited by Katze went back to his name. Nonetheless, the Blondie had given the black market boss some of his properties including Apathia's apartment, and the man had moved there with Daniel, as his offices were not very suitable for hosting a couple.

Orphe Zavi had been elected governor of Tanagura and Iason - although most of the mongrels continued to refer to him as Minosi Kan - governor of Ceres. Riki, Sid, Norris, and Guy became part of the council as Ceresian representatives. The governor of Midas elected instead was a high-ranking human whose name was Palacius Gru.

The large numbers of former pets who served Midas brothels were also released from slavery, although many of them had decided to remain as regularly paid employees enjoying greater rights and better living conditions than before. After all, engaging in sexual activities was what they had always done and what they did best.

***

After they finished eating, the boys decided to bring their motorcycles to end the evening at Depravities, the local historian who had seen them born and grow up as a gang.

"Are you coming with us, Cal?" Riki asked, handing him a helmet.

The young ex furniture shook his head, not very attracted to the idea of going there. He didn’t like confusion and thought he was different from the people of Ceres, which is why he felt out of place whenever he was among them.

"No Master Riki, I'll stay at home". He answered, but quickly realized that he had again used one of those ‘subordinate’ titles for which he had been reprimanded earlier. "Oh ... I'm sorry" he added, taken by despair.

"Cal, you can talk any way you want. Don't listen to Sid's words, okay? Forget about it!"

Unconvinced, the boy nodded.

"Tomorrow I'll help you clean up, don't do it all by yourself!" Bison's former leader added.

"I can stay too to help him!" Benson, who had been silent for much of the evening, suddenly exclaimed.

"Don't you want to come either then?" Guy asked, already at the door.

"No Master Guy, I wouldn't feel comfortable."

"As you like" accepted the mongrel "I'll come and get you in a couple of hours at the most."

They all got on their flying motorcycles and ran away in the direction of Ceres, leaving a trail of light behind them.

Cal began clearing away, quickly followed by Benson. They were very efficient and working together they had a clean living room and kitchen and all dishes in the dishwasher in less than half an hour.

The former servant - now housekeeper - of the Mink family was not used to the company of other furnitures. He had left Eos before he was 16, and since then his only company had been Iason, Riki and Katze, whom he considered a Master and not a colleague. For Benson, however, that was a perfectly normal situation, being used to working with Daniel in the maintenance of Raoul's penthouse in Eos.

"Thanks Benson." Cal said after putting the rag away.

There was nothing else to do and they both sat down on the sofa in the living room. Cal would have preferred to retire to his room to read a book or listen to some music, but it would have been very rude of him to leave a guest alone. In the end, he decided to break that awkward silence with a few words of circumstance.

"How do you find living outside Eos?" he asked, not really interested in the answer.

"Master Raoul likes it, so it's good for me too." replied the forest-green haired youth.

"Don't you get bored sometimes?" Cal asked, a little intrigued now.

When he lived in the underground bunker his life was very full and exciting, as he served as a link between his Masters, who could not show themselves around, and the outside world and he also took care of Katze's needs. When he had to take over the black market then, he was full with commitments, but now he didn't have much to do and often didn't know how to pass the time.

“Actually no, it's hard for me to get bored. Master Raoul hasn’t yet resumed work, he doesn’t go out and I take care of his needs. Also, I often see Katze and Daniel and twice a week I go to training meetings for former Eos furnitures, so I don't have much free time."

"Oh ... I see ..."

Cal felt a little sad. He was very fond of Katze, but having always considered himself a mere subordinate, he had never established a true friendship with him and the latter had never invited him out. He had no friends apart from Riki, with whom he shared a great deal of complicity due to all the experiences they shared since he was a pet, but he didn't feel comfortable doing the 'mongrel things' that the other man liked and couldn’t open completely to Riki as he still considered him a Master. And then, Riki and Iason were always busy and the few times they were both at home they kept each other company or isolated in intimacy and Cal made himself invisible for not being a third wheel.

"Why don't you come to some meetings too?" Benson asked him "They are fun and give you the opportunity to make friends with other former furnitures and try new experiences!"

"I ... I don't know ..." Cal replied.

The boy actually still had a bitter taste in his mouth dating back to when, after the alleged death of his Masters, the guards had come to snatch him from the apartment where he lived and locked him in a cell awaiting his fate, almost without giving him any food or a change of clothes. Since then, he had held on tightly to his life outside the tower and had no intention of reopening old wounds. He feared Eos and everything that went around it and didn’t want to encounter other furnitures that had worked there.

"What do you do to pass the time?" Benson then asked.

"I read a lot. Master Iason gave me a dataslate with a practically infinite library. Then ... I like working on the computer. I learned some programming languages when I replaced Katze and now that I have more time I started developing a couple of applications."

"Really? What kind of applications?"

"The one I'm working on now, turns written language into audio. It’s used to allow illiterate or blind people to read a book, a newspaper article or a manual, for example. Now I'm implementing it with languages from other planets, so it will also be used to listen to books not translated yet into Amoian." Cal said. It was the first time he had talked to anyone of his hobbies.

"But that's great!" Benson exclaimed. "Such a thing could be useful in many fields. I'm sure many would be interested in buying it, you could make a lot of money!"

"Yes ... actually it's still in beta. I don't want to sell it, it's an idea that came to my mind several years ago observing Riki, when he was still a pet and lived in Eos. He ... he was very bored, so Iason gave him a dataslate like mine and spent most of the day reading. As you know, most pets are illiterate and at the time I thought that if such an application existed, other pets, who might get bored like Riki used to be, could devote some of their time to a useful and enjoyable activity like reading. When it's tested and working, I'll make it free to download, I don't need any money."

Benson was impressed by the technical skills and generosity of his interlocutor, who spoke naturally and humbly about a subject that at least any other person would have bragged about. Cal instead, realizing what he had just said, suddenly turned pale, remembering that Riki didn't like rumors about his life as a pet before Dana Burn.

"Listen… what I just told you about Riki… I shouldn't have said that! If he found out, he'd be mad at me. Don't tell anyone!" He said almost begging.

"Sure, don't worry. But why doesn't he want these things to be known around? Everyone knows he was Iason Mink's pet, so he must have done what all pets did."

"Yes well… outside Tanagura people are not very informed about the rules of pets and here in Ceres they know almost nothing. For most mongrels those things would be seen as ... humiliating: chains, collars, nudity, skimpy clothing, copulating and masturbating in public, aphrodisiacs, not being able to decide what to wear or eat and having to fully depend on their furniture - even for personal hygiene, the fact of having to sit on the ground at the feet of their Master, pet-rings, obedience etc … Riki has a reputation to maintain here and prefers some details as such not to reach prying ears. It's kind of a secret between me, him and Master Iason. So don't tell anyone about it ... especially Master Guy!"

"I understood. You don't have to worry, I'll keep my mouth shut ... even if I think Master Guy already knows a lot of these things because Master Raoul told him about it. I once heard him talk about how Riki at Eos was a stick in the mud for everyone and just broke the rules and caused problems. I think Master Guy felt proud of those rebellions."

"Yeah, well… don't tell him anyway. Listen, would you like to come and see my application and tell me how it looks to you? But remember, it's still being tested!" Eventually Cal said, trying to change the subject and stop talking about Riki's life in Eos.

"Sure!" The two former furnitures moved to Cal's room, where the boy's terminal was.

When Iason got home, about half an hour later, he already knew he wouldn't find Riki waiting for him because his motorbike wasn't parked in the driveway, but he was surprised to hear voices coming from Cal's room. He walked over to the door and saw the two boys who seemed to be engaged in a stimulating conversation. He had never seen his employee speak with such passion and decided not to disturb them by announcing his presence. He served himself a cognac with ice and sat on the living room sofa to wait for Riki.

He didn’t have to wait long because, about a quarter of an hour later, the door of the house opened and the object of his desires hurled himself at him with a staggering step and a Boeotian smile on his face.

"How much did he drink?" The Blondie asked , not at all bothered by the fact that his mongrel had collapsed practically unconscious in his arms, to Guy who had entered immediately after him.

"A little too much, I think. I made him throw up on the way back." The other replied amused.

"You wouldn’t have allowed him to drive in these conditions, I hope!" Iason wrinkled his eyes slightly in a fit of rage at the thought that Riki might have risked his life by driving so crazy.

"No blond man, don't worry, I took him. Tomorrow accompany Riki to retrieve his bike in front of the Depravities. Listen but ... What happened with Raoul? Don't tell me he's already back home!"

"I followed him in the car all the way home and we separated about 50 minutes ago."

"Shit! BENSON HURRY!" Guy called his friend with sudden urgency.

"Why is it a problem that my brother is home?" Lord Mink asked with perplexity.

"It doesn't matter" Guy cut it short "BENSOOON!!"

The ex-furniture left Cal's room just in time to grab the helmet Guy had thrown at him.

“Raoul is home. Let's go!” He explained.

Without repeating it, Benson turned to greet his colleague, took leave of Iason with a half bow, got on the bike with the engines already running and Guy in the driver's seat, and immediately they took off.

Iason thought for a moment about the strangeness of that urgency and then concentrated on the man who lay in his arms with a piece of the fabric of his tunic clutched in his fist. He got up and carried him to bed. Then, heedless of the smell of beer and vomit coming from his stomach, he bent down to kiss him and began stripping him of his clothes until he was left in his underwear and shirt. As he took off his pants, Riki opened his eyes slightly, looked at Iason and muttered something incomprehensible.

"You are a mischievous pet." the Blondie whispered in his ear.

"Mmmmmh" replied the mongrel smiling. Riki curled up on his side and fell asleep again soon after.

Iason shed the formal clothes he had worn for dinner in Parthea and lay down beside him, he would wait the next morning to claim his love reward.


	2. Truce with the enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Guy and Benson traveled at high speed and with apprehension the road from New Ceres to Mistral Park. The mongrel cursed himself internally for being so unaware that he got distracted and lost track of time in Depravities: he would have to come back soon to be home before Raoul.

As soon as they reached the mansion, they began to look for him.

"Raoul? I'm back!" Guy shouted, but not hearing an answer, he started looking for him in the various rooms hoping that he was already asleep, but the bed was empty.

"Master Guy!" Benson called him a few minutes later from outside. “I found Master Raoul! He's in the courtyard!"

Guy scrambled down the stairs. His Blondie, still wearing the formal clothes in which he had gone out for dinner in Parthea, was standing on the lawn in the back garden of the house. Benson was beside him.

"He's in a trance, I couldn't wake him up" the young ex-furniture explained.

"Shit" the other swore between his teeth "Hey Bombon, it's cold! Come on inside!"

Guy took his hand and felt it almost frozen. The nights in Amoi were very cold, especially at that time of the year, and Raoul had apparently been stationary in that position for a long time.

"Benson, go get some blankets!"

Guy walked over to his beloved and heard him whisper something in a low voice like a litany. They looked like chemical formulas.

“Raoul, love can you hear me? Come on, let's go back inside!" There was no answer.

It was the third time this had happened in a month and on all occasions Guy and Benson had been able to do nothing but wait for that catatonic state to pass spontaneously. They realized that those crisis only took place when Raoul was left alone and devoid of activities that kept his mind occupied for a considerable period of time, otherwise he looked perfectly normal.

Once finished, he had no memory of these episodes and the two young men had preferred not to say anything to him so as not to arouse concern.

After the first episode, they had organized themselves to make sure that Raoul was always accompanied by one of them and offered him frequent stimuli to prevent him from becoming isolated. Guy's head was continually alert of Orphe's warnings that his mind might have been damaged by Jupiter's torture.

Guy had tried to get him to talk about what had happened that day, but there was no way to convince him: Raoul avoided the topic, gave evasive answers and got angry when the questions became too insistent.

He tried to shake him by resuming their sexual activity as soon as his body was healed enough to allow it, but even there he refused any approach. He walked away making excuses or claiming to be still in poor health (which was unlikely, because the Blondies' organism has a higher healing and regenerative capacity than humans).

Guy really didn't know what to do anymore. Orphe had advised him to make Raoul relive and face that experience but … it was easier said than done! Should he have chained him up, tortured him with electric current, and finally raped him? It was absolutely out of the question.

They wrapped him in blankets and Guy hugged him to give him warmth. Almost two hours went by before, out of the blue, Raoul came to his senses.

“Guy? I didn't realize you were back!" He said.

The young man, sleepy and emotionally destroyed, tried to recover quickly and offered the best of his smiles.

“Yes love, I came back a little while ago. You must be distracted. Why did you come to the garden?"

"I didn't want to sleep without you and I went out to look at the stars."

"You did well, but now let's go home. It's cold."

Raoul totally agreed with that statement. His legs were slightly numb, his arms cold, and he badly needed to lie down.

Guy waited for the Elite to finish getting ready for the night and lay down beside him. He accompanied him until his breathing became slow and steady, a sign that he turned off his sensors. Then he silently got out of bed and knocked on Benson's room.

The former furniture opened after a few minutes. He seemed to have been ripped from a particularly deep sleep.

"Sorry if I woke you up."

"It doesn't matter Master Guy." Benson answered, yawning and rubbing his eyes "What's going on?"

“I'll be out early in the morning. Take care of Raoul until I return."

"How long will you be away?"

Benson noticed that the way Guy had spoken was too serious and solemn, which was unusual for him, who tended to take everything lightly and with a smile on his face.

"I don't know ... but I hope to be back soon" the mongrel said a little worried "Ah ... and look: you won't escape tomorrow! You have to tell me what you and Cal were doing alone in his room!" He added, returning to being the usual Guy ever.

Benson blushed immediately. “Cal was only showing me something on his computer!"

"Yes sure, something on the computer, everyone says so!"

Guy didn't doubt Benson's honesty and good faith, but he enjoyed teasing and pissing him off a little from time to time. So, after reaching his goal of making the other resentful and respond with some insult (which in Benson's case was accusing him of being a lie-teller) he bade him goodnight by ruffling his hair, put on his pajamas and went back to bed to sleep a few hours.

***

As he sped towards Tanagura aboard his flying motorcycle, Guy couldn't help but smile at the idea that, just a few months ago, it would have been impossible for him to make that journey. Even before reaching the Main Gate, he would have been stopped by Midas' guards and beaten to a bloody mass.

Now, however, he only needed to get close to the scanner for the ID implanted in his earlobe to identify him and all the doors magically open. Being one of the Ceresian representatives of the council, it was not the first time that he went to Tanagura and accessed Jupiter Tower but today his goal was different from usual.

As soon as he passed the front door, he approached one of the guards.

"Hey! I want to talk to Jupiter!" He said firmly.

The android looked at him annoyed.

"Lambda 3000 doesn’t receive humans, except in exceptional cases, and requests for an audience with the Creator must be communicated in advance." he replied, hoping to get rid of that nuisance as soon as possible.

"Tell it the mongrel who blew Dana Burn up is here and wants to talk to it."

The guard's eyes widened. Almost simultaneously the hall lights flickered and the android received a beep on his wrist communicator. Visibly upset, he began to sweat cold.

"W ... who should I announce?"

“Guy.”

"Wait here, Mr. Guy, I'll call the captain."

The man leaned back against the wall as he watched the guard walk away. At the thought that he might be one of those who raped Raoul, he clenched his fist and couldn't hold back an angry snarl. Saurus Finn caught up with him almost immediately and Guy gave him a hateful look, to which the Onyx replied with a frown.

“Guy, right? Supreme Jupiter will receive you. Follow me." The Elite simply said, unaware of the grudge that the other felt towards him.

He led him to an elevator which took them to the top floor; once they reached the luminescent mirror door, he motioned for him to enter. Guy swallowed, suddenly filled with a little fear because of that decision, so he braced himself and entered the dome.

The first feeling was that such environment was very unnatural ... like every bit of all of Tanagura, after all. The walls were so white and bright that they were blinding, and a muffled sound reverberated around him that made him dizzy. There were thousands of lights twinkling and dancing in that barren space and before Guy could understand what was happening, they condensed into one body that took on a seemingly human form. Neither man nor woman, with long shiny hair and expressionless magenta eyes.

Guy's body muscles twitched with the hatred he felt for that being. All fear vanished and he had to make a great effort of will to refrain from punching it in the face, an action that would have been rather stupid and pointless but would have filled him with satisfaction.

"I didn't think the human responsible for damaging the first of my Blondies was coming to visit me." The Artificial Intelligence suddenly said. The screech of its metallic voice made Guy shiver from the inside of his bones. "I can sense your anger, Guy of Ceres. What has caused such disturbance in your soul?"

The mongrel had imagined on a thousand occasions to tear apart that infernal computer, giving it a different appearance each time. This fantasy had first formed in his mind when, many months ago, he had taken care of a suffering Blondie, naked and crouched in the corner of a room, whose face was twisted in a grimace of agony. A Blondie who at that moment meant nothing to him, was just a living being in pain who had awakened in him protection's feelings, but who over time would become the most important person in his life.

Focusing on him, Guy tried to swallow all the hatred and resentment he felt: he needed Jupiter to help Raoul! He couldn't have made it an enemy!

"It's nothing." He then answered with clenched teeth.

Lambda 3000 carefully studied the human for a few seconds.

"What do I owe your visit to, Guy of Ceres?" It then asked, spelling out every word well.

“I came for Raoul. He is sick and I fear it may be the prelude to a short circuit." 'And it's all your fault and your fucking torture' he kept the last sentence to himself.

"Describe his symptoms to me."

Guy recounted the three episodes without skimping on details. Jupiter closed its eyes to rework the data and made a strange buzzing sound.

“Your diagnosis seems correct, Guy of Ceres. My son Raoul chose to move away from Eos and this prevented me from catching the first signs of his discomfort and, probably, from intervening in time."

"You mean it's too late to do anything?" The young man immediately panicked.

“The traumatic short circuit in the first stage, in the Elites, can easily be cured by stimulating their minds to relive the moment that started the rift. However, from what you told me, my son Raoul is already in an intermediate phase and the safest way in this case is that of brain restoration. If he does reach the last stage, however, there will be no way to save him. His mind will already be so damaged that it cannot be reset."

"Brain restoration? What’s this?"

"It means bringing his mind back to its original state." The AI answered.

“And what does it involve? Won't he remember anything?"

“An Elite who has undergone a mental cleansing process will regain possession of all his innate skills and knowledge, but will lose the acquired ones. In Raoul's case, he would keep all his medical / scientific skills and his level of education would be unaffected."

“And… his character? His memories? The people he met?"

“Each of my Blondies has certain unique character traits and these don’t modify upon restoration, but if the character underwent any changes due to outside interference, those adjustments would be lost. As for the people he met, know that each of my children was born with a database containing the names and characteristics of each Tanagura Elite but other living beings met during their life, furnitures and pets for example, are part of the acquired knowledge and therefore their memory is not preserved".

Lambda 3000 watched the mongrel, which seemed to be struggling with some kind of inner dilemma and whose facial features were contracted and trembling. "What kind of relationship do you have with my son, Guy of Ceres?" it asked.

Guy hesitated. He was unable to define the relationship he had with Raoul. They had been casual lovers for about a month before his enforced detention in Eos and had now been living together for a few weeks, but without any kind of sexual interaction.

Guy, however, felt he loved him, and this made him find the courage to answer "I'm his partner."

Jupiter didn’t seem surprised by this revelation.

"We can give it a try." it said. "Come back in the morning and take Raoul with you!"

"Will you erase his mind?" the young man asked apprehensively.

"No, if I can avoid it."

“Could you… officially summon him? You know, it's not like I can wake him up in the morning and say - Come on, put some clothes on, we're going to find Jupiter! - without a valid justification ..."

The Artificial Intelligence flashed, intrigued by the manners of this human who, as it noticed with Riki, didn’t seem intimidated and had no qualms about addressing it without pleasantries.

“I will call my son officially, Guy of Ceres, but you must be there. I warn you: drastic treatment may prove necessary and your participation will be essential if so. Your heart must not waver."

"I won't falter but ... you won't hurt him will you?"

“No physical harm will be done to him but on a psychological level it could be a difficult test to pass. Nonetheless, it's the only chance we have to prevent Raoul from undergoing a mental restoration that would lead him to forget about you."

That said, the Supercomputer explained to Guy how they should act and what his role in the whole procedure would be. The young man listened carefully and accepted everything: he didn’t trust Jupiter, but it was his last hope to save Raoul and he had no choice but to collaborate with it.

"Guy of Ceres, one last thing." Lambda 3000 added before opening the dome door “If you still have the desire to vent your grudge on my metaphysical projection I have no objection to this, but remember that this is only a disembodied materialization. Which means I won't take any damage or feel any pain, but it might help you soothe your anger."

Guy stared into Jupiter's blank face in amazement for a few seconds, then nodded affirmatively. He looked down and quietly left the room.


	3. Life goes on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Creek got out of bed and staggered to the bathroom. Coming back, still half groggy from sleep, he heard a gibbering, agitated voice from Aylin's room.

‘Again’ he thought resignedly.

He opened the door and approached silently to the bed: the girl wriggled in her sleep. She was sweaty, her hair sticking to her forehead and neck. Both sheets and pillow were soaked.

While sleeping, she uttered incomprehensible words but Creek didn't need to understand them. He already knew what she was dreaming of. It was the same nightmare almost every night for over a month: Gideon surrounded by flames. His body and face charred and his long golden hair intact. Aylin who tried to save him with the only result of ending up wrapped in fire too.

The young former furniture wet a cloth with fresh water, dabbed the girl's forehead and face with it, and lay down on the bed to hug her.

“Quiet sssssh … he’s gone. It's all over." He whispered, stroking her shoulders.

The tremor in Aylin's body subsided and her sleep seemed to become quiet again. Creek looked at the bedside clock: 7am. He’d better get up.

After a shower and getting changed, he put the coffee pot on the fire and washed the dishes from the night before. Then he sat down on the living room sofa to listen to the news on the radio.

Around 8am, Aylin joined him and sat down too.

"I heard you this morning." She said, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Yes. You were having another one of those nightmares ... "

"I'm sorry. I woke you up."

"I was already awake, don't worry."

The girl curled up on Creek's chest and he started stroking her head in a comforting way. It was a ritual that was repeated every morning.

Aylin had always been the strongest among them, the one who didn’t let herself be discouraged by difficulties and rolled up her sleeves, who, both in Eos as a pet and in Ceres as a mongrel soldier, faced every problem without fear. She had always been an example and support for Creek, who tended to do the opposite, demoralizing and exaggerating the problems.

After the loss of Gideon, however, their roles were reversed. Creek had managed to recover from the pain fairly quickly, shutting the memory of his Master in a corner of his mind and focusing his energies on daily life. For Aylin, however, it had been very hard and the first few weeks she had alternated panic attacks with periods of silence and depression. She had no appetite and what little she ingested she could not keep in her stomach, which is why she had lost weight and looked paler than usual.

She was getting a little better now, but these recurring nightmares didn't allow Aylin to rest well and left her nervous and tired.

Today would have been an important day, which had been talked about for some time and which they had long postponed.

"Are you sure you feel like doing it today?"

"Yes, I can do it." She confirmed, even if in reality the weakness she felt in her soul seemed to say only to abandon herself to starvation.

The two youngsters had breakfast and prepared to leave. It was a beautiful day, sunny but cool. Creek climbed aboard his flying bike and Aylin was right behind him. He waited for the girl to encircle his torso with her arms and started the engines. They headed west, crossed Herbay’s borders and entered the Amoian Desert.

They glided across the sand at high speed for at least two hours in silence. Creek with his eyes towards the horizon and Aylin with her face turned to the side and resting on his back. When they came to a large clearing without rocks, the eunuch stopped.

"What do you say?"

"Here it's fine."

They got out of the vehicle. The wind was blowing up the sand and they had to wrap a cloth around their face to protect their eyes and mouth and avoid inhaling it or being blinded.

Aylin carried a backpack, from which she took out two shovels with folding handles with which they dug a hole in the sand. When it was deep enough, the girl took another object from the backpack: a dark wooden box. That wooden box.

Both kneeling in front of the hole, they revealed its contents: three strands of long hair. A light blue tuft, a purple tuft, a blond tuft. The first two cutted by Jupiter's Onyx for cruel purposes; the last one belonged to their Master. Creek had kept it from that day, now so distant, when Gideon had agreed to cut and dye his long hair to give up being a Blondie and lead an army.

One last glance and then, after a sign of agreement, they closed the precious box, slid it to the bottom of the pit and covered it with sand.

The return journey was extremely smooth. Only after crossing Herbay's borders, near home, did Aylin motion to her brother to pull over.

"Would you take me to Sid's house?" she said aloud, so as to be heard even with the engine running.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Creek got back on the road, setting its course towards a new goal: to start living again.

***

When Raoul, at noon, received an urgent official communication delivered directly from one of Jupiter's emissaries, he didn’t say anything nor show any emotion. He simply read it, closed it in the envelope and continued his meal as if nothing happened. Only several hours later did he warn Guy, aloof and quietly, that he would have to go to Tanagura on business the next morning.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" The young man asked.

"And why the hell would you go with me? It's something to do with the clinic, you'll be bored."

Guy agreed, on the other hand he didn’t really expect Raoul to confess to him that he had been summoned by Jupiter, not after the heated discussion they had about in Eos only a month and a half earlier.

"I'll be out in the morning too, I have some unfinished business with Katze." The mongrel informed “Hey Benson, why don't you go find Cal? So you won't spend the whole day alone!"

"Master Guy!" The young ex-furniture nearly jumped in his chair and gave Guy a murderous look for daring to say such a thing in front of Raoul.

"Hey calm down! Look, I'm serious, I wasn't kidding you. Both Raoul and I may not be back until late in the evening and it would make no sense for you to wait all day alone at home! I could ask Riki to come and take you to their house."

Guy wanted Benson to go to Iason’s not only because he knew he and Raoul would be away from home all day, but also because, in case things didn't go well and Raoul's brain reset was needed, he preferred Riki and Iason to help him break the news.

The boy took a few seconds to think about that possibility and Guy grabbed the opportunity to take his communicator and call Riki, asking him if the next morning he could come to pick up Benson and keep him at their house until he and Raoul were free from commitments.

"He said it's okay, in the morning he'll come get you" He finally said with a satisfied smile on his face.

The other turned red and would have gladly started insulting Guy if Raoul hadn't intervened.

"Sounds like a great idea, Benson, I don't want you to spend so much time alone in the house. You don't need to get embarrassed and angry every time someone tries to do something for you and be helpful." He scolded him.

The former furniture sighed in surrender.

“Excuse me Master Raoul. I will follow GUY's advice." He pronounced the name ‘GUY’ in a slow and articulate way and purposely omitting the suffix 'Master' to express all his disappointment.

***

That night, in bed, Guy was particularly affectionate and didn't seem to want to break away from his Blondie.

“Hey Bombon, can I ask you a weird question? It's about you Elites ... "

Raoul was very surprised because it was the first time that Guy expressed certain curiosities. “Sure, I'm glad you care about our android nature. What did you want to know?"

“Here … do you remember that Jupiter wanted to clear Gideon's mind? I wanted to know ... is this a very common practice among you? Have they ever done it to you?"

"Why this question?"

"No particular reason ..."

Raoul didn't seem very convinced of that answer, but he saw nothing wrong in speaking about it.

“Mental restoration of an Elite or a minor android is a procedure that can only be requested by Jupiter. It’s not a widespread practice: on average, two mental cleanings are performed every five years and this intervention is irreversible. It’s used as a last resort for the treatment of severe mental illness or when an Elite malfunctions and makes frequent or particularly serious mistakes, behaves atypical or deliberately violates rules.

Since you asked me if I've ever had a mind reset, I'll answer you in the only way possible: I don't know.

Our conception of time is different from yours. We Elite are immortal and when we are born we have the impression of having always existed. If my mind had been reset, I would have woken up after the surgery without realizing that something had changed in me. Precisely for this reason, mental cleansing procedures are secret and none of my brothers would have known or could have told me about it.

If the Elite sent to restore had owned a furniture or a pet, these would have been disposed of and replaced before his return, to prevent them from causing him confusion.

But I can tell you one thing: in Tanagura the only ones allowed to practice an Elite mental cleansing are me and Lambda 3000 itself, and I’m not aware that our Creator has made use of this ability in the last few centuries. Is your curiosity satisfied, Guy?"

"I guess so ..." the young man confirmed.

'So, if Raoul's mind is cleared, Benson and I would have to disappear forever from his life so as not to create conflict in him. He would return to live in Eos and for him the events of the last few years would be as if never happened. He would forget all the bad things went on and resume his old life and his job in the clinic. Maybe it wouldn't have been bad for him ... maybe that life was better than the one he has now ...'

Guy was pervaded by these reflections like a raging river.

'Maybe ... the cause of all Raoul's problems is me and he'd be happier without me ...'

"Guy?" Raoul interrupted his stream of thoughts.

"Yes love"

"If one day Jupiter decides to clear my mind ... you’ll have to do one thing for me: please, destroy my body. I don't want to forget you."

Tears began to fall suddenly and out of control from the mongrel's eyes. Raoul wiped them away with the back of his hand. "Why this reaction?" He asked worried.

“S… sorry. You moved me, I think."

The Blondie slid over Guy and kissed him on the lips.

"My mongrel is so sensitive. I like this fragile and delicate side of you." He told, before kissing him again. Guy looked into the deep emerald eyes of his Blondie hoping this wasn't the last time.


	4. Jupiter's repentance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

That morning Guy left the house first and climbed upon his aero-bike. He knew that Raoul had been summoned for 9 am, so he made arrangements to arrive at Jupiter Tower at least fifteen minutes before him.

In the lobby of the modern skyscraper, Saurus Finn was waiting for him and Guy felt again overwhelmed by the same feeling of hatred and contempt that had shaken him the day before. Without hiding his restless mood, he followed the android into the elevator.

As they climbed the 100 floors that separated them from the dome, he stared at the solemn and menacing face of the Onyx and couldn't help but the angry grimace on his face turned into a defiant grin.

"It must have filled you with satisfaction" he said, without thinking too much and with an explicitly sarcastic tone.

"What?" Saurus, not sure he understood correctly, looked at the human in confusion.

"Torturing Raoul. You Onyx are the lowest social class among the Elites, aren't you? How did you feel torturing a Blondie? Was it better than skinning human beings?"

The captain of the Jupiter Guards reacted with a glint of anger in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about, human. Lord Am was subjected to regular interrogation because he was withholding important information from our Creator and I only followed its orders."

"Oh sure, and would you have me believe it wasn't your moment of glory? Didn't you get aroused as you pushed an electric pole into the ass of one of Jupiter's favorite sons? Didn't you feel rewarded by centuries of envy during which you observed other Elites with more flamboyant hair than yours from bottom to top? If I'm not mistaken, you Onyx don't even have a title, you are the only Elites not to be Lord. You're the android scum, practically slumdogs. You must have felt powerful as you raged on a chained and helpless Blondie. Tell me Saurus, didn’t you enjoy? How did you manage to keep your cock in your pants while you heard his agony screams?"

Freaked out with rage, the Onyx jerked forward, wrapped his fingers around Guy's throat and picked him up, crushing him against the elevator wall.

"How dare you! I'll make you pay, you damned human flea!"

Saurus clenched his fist further, but despite being choking, Guy didn't take his eyes off him or lose that smile from his mouth.

“W… what's going on Onyx? Did I strike the mark? Did I hit your sweet spot?" He gasped with the little air he had left as his vision blurred.

Suddenly the captain of the guard screamed, loosened his grip and slumped to the ground gritting his teeth with a grimace of pain on his face. Guy fell right after him and, out of breath, devouring oxygen. Large dark bruises had formed on his neck.

The elevator doors opened and Saurus was sucked outward by an invisible force and thrown forcefully against one of the walls of Jupiter's dome. Guy, recovered from the attack, ran after him and the scene he witnessed was that of the android first slammed several times violently against the wall and then crushed to the ground, with his hands on his temples and shouting his torment.

"How dare you, Saurus, raise your hands on a guest of mine on the threshold of my own house!" The voice of Jupiter's wrath boomed mercilessly through the surrounding space.

The supercomputer materialized. The imposing humanoid figure was surrounded by a fiery aura. The cries of the Onyx became more shrill and heartleft and when finally, a few minutes later, they subsided, the Artificial Intelligence, without muffling the flames that surrounded its projected body, ordered him to get up.

Saurus struggled to his feet. He was in pain, with haggard eyes, a red face, and a trickle of blue blood falling from his nose and left ear.

"You are suspended from your duties for a week, Saurus Finn, immediately retire to your quarters. You are forbidden to leave them until further notice." The Entity ordered austere.

"Yes Creator" he replied in submission. Walking with difficulty he left the hall. Before leaving, he gave the human a grudgeful look.

"I apologize for the behavior of my son, Guy of Ceres" pronounced the digital materialization of Jupiter after returning to its neutral state "Will you be able to complete the task has been assigned to you?"

"I'm ready." the mongrel agreed.

"Then conceal your presence behind this panel." Lambda 3000 pointed to a hole, behind which Guy went to hide.

A few minutes later, a guard announced the imminent arrival of Lord Am. The Blondie entered with his ceremonial robes and with a solemn and proud bearing. As usual, he knelt before his Creator.

"Welcome back son, I'm glad to see you again." The God of Amoi said.

Raoul, apparently calm and composed and maintaining that position of respect, addressed his parent without any deviation of his voice or other sign of discomfort. "Thanks Creator. Why did you summon me?"

"I just want to check up your health, Raoul. Since you left the tower, I haven't been able to monitor your vital and neurological signs."

"I feel good." The Blondie asserted without hesitation.

"As you well know, son, personal perceptions can sometimes not correspond to the objective clinical state. Let me log into your system to make sure everything is working properly."

Raoul agreed with suspicion. He stood up and closed his eyes to allow his Creator to enter. Jupiter brought its hands of pure energy to the sides of the Blondie's head, the lights in the room flashed and the buzz that permeated the environment became louder, so much so that Guy had to plug his ears.

"I can't access all of your circuits, son, there's a dark area in your brain whose barriers don't want to be penetrated."

Raoul began to fidget. "I didn't create any barriers" he said defensively. He was still trying to keep that mask of determination, but his quick breathing and racing heartbeat betrayed his anxiety.

"I’m aware of it, son. I know you're not deliberately hiding anything from me. However, this dark part that has installed itself in your mind is expanding. It has already done some damage and if I don't act quickly it will permanently compromise your circuits. I need to break through these barriers and to do so I have to ask you for something that I know you are very reluctant to give me. I need your trust, Raoul."

"I don’t understand ..."

"Do you remember what happened in this same room about a month and a half ago?" The supercomputer investigated cautiously.

"Yes. I was subjected to an interrogation." the biochemist answered almost mechanically.

"Do you remember the way that interrogation took place?"

Raoul described everything that was done to him, but the way he did it was absolutely unnatural. It was as if he were talking about events that had happened to someone else and of which he had only been a spectator. As if he were telling the plot of a movie. Jupiter listened in silence.

"Your soul has erected shields to protect you from emotional pain" it finally formulated “I have to penetrate them, Raoul, and to do so I’ll have to proceed similarly to the last time. The difference is that today you’ll not be given violence or generated physical suffering."

Lord Am panicked. "I don’t want to do it!" he said and, at the same time, almost without realizing it, he began to look around as if looking for an escape route.

"Don't fear me, son. My touch can be cruel but it can also be healing.” The Entity dissolved its materialization and, in the form of energy molecules, surrounded the Elite's body supporting his attempts to get away and trying to calm him.

"You have to trust me. Your willpower is hard to fold and to break down the barriers that imprison part of your soul, I’ll need your cooperation. I’ll not force you to do so or submit. If you don’t spontaneously undergo this treatment, the only other way will be brain restoration. Your choice, Raoul."

The Blondie winced. Mental cleansing! He would forget Guy! "I'll undergo the treatment" He groaned.

"Then loosen your sensors, Raoul, and surrender to me without defense."

The android tried to slow down the anxious pace of his breathing and had to exert a great effort of will to be able to close his eyes and let go of gravity. Jupiter supported his body and gently stripped him of his clothes. Then, still holding him up, it brought up a futon in the center of the room and placed him on top of it.

Guy watched the whole scene from his hiding place with apprehension.

Raoul, finding himself naked and stretched out in the presence of Jupiter, began to tremble and his heartbeat accelerated again.

"You’ll have to keep your eyes closed and not withdraw. Will you be able to do that?" The AI asked. It didn't want to blindfold him and chain him up because that would only scare him more.

"I ... I don't know." the Blondie replied sincerely.

"If you can't hold your position, I'll block it later. Now listen to me: I’ll need the intervention of an assistant and you won’t have to fear his touch or mine".

Raoul felt panicked again. “An assistant? You mean ... a guard? "

"No. I’ll never allow a guard to touch you intimately again. It’s a human being."

"A human? Who is it?"

"Just know it's someone who won't hurt you. I'll explain how we will proceed: I’ll try to penetrate the shields of your mind while the human will distract your senses. Don't resist him. Don't fight him. Don't take refuge in yourself. You’ll have to open up and rely on both of us."

Raoul nodded and waited, motionless and with his eyes closed. His whole body was shaking, even though the room temperature was warm. His diaphanous and usually smooth skin filled with small bumps - a phenomenon common in humans and known as goosebumps but extremely rare in Elites. His testicles unconsciously retracted and his penis contracted, as if it wanted to disappear inside the body. His lids filled with unshed tears. Raoul was afraid and this was clear and visible from the involuntary reactions of his organism.

Jupiter observed with interest the pure behaviors of the most emotional and least artificial of its Blondies, who with courage voluntarily submitted to a treatment that deeply terrified him, in order not to lose his memories. He spread out one of its luminous appendages and touched Guy's shoulder to let him know it was his time to intervene.

The man, who in the meantime had also undressed, approached and put a hand on Raoul's chest, who immediately reacted with a gasp. An obscure and potentially hostile human would have the power to manipulate his body in such a vulnerable state. That idea made him shiver.

The unknown hand began to caress him and every now and then was replaced by an equally unfamiliar mouth that gave him sweet and delicate kisses. Lambda 3000, meanwhile, begun to penetrate his neural circuits with the aim of breaking shields. That modus operandi was very similar to that of the last interrogation and the mental invasion just as intense, although less violent and painful.

Raoul continued to tremble, on the one hand touched in an almost sexual way by a stranger and on the other violated in the intimacy of his thoughts. Only when his rational side got the better of fear did he realize a detail he hadn't noticed before: a single hand. Why was it always just a hand to touch him? Why wasn't Jupiter's assistant using his two limbs at the same time?

Only when a warm mouth touched his lips did Raoul recognize the familiar and beloved scent.

"G ... Guy?" He whispered.

The only answer he received was a second kiss. Raoul smiled, his skin smoothed back and his muscles relaxed. Jupiter took advantage of this to delve further into him.

That joint work between a slumdog and the supreme deity of Amoi went on for hours. The first by stimulating the body to distract the mind and the second by taking advantage of every moment of Raoul's relaxation to look a little deeper.

Eventually something seemed to give way. The relaxation, pleasure and sensory fulfillment managed to weaken the barriers to the minimum necessary for Jupiter to enter the dark zone.

Lambda 3000 immediately collided with Raoul's ghosts: a dark area filled with anguish, pain, suffering, anger and fear and had to draw much of its energy in order for the breach it had created to remain open and the painful memories to escape.

Raoul was immediately inundated by them and the vivid reminiscences of the tortures he suffered overwhelmed him: the violent mental attacks, the excruciating pain of the continuous and close electric discharges, the sadistic and satisfied expression of Saurus Finn as he tortured him with the consent of Jupiter, the awareness of having to resist not to betray Iason despite his tenacity being exhausted. Finally, the sexual violence, which ended up breaking any hold he had with the outside world, dismembering his pride and dignity.

He screamed and cried. He opened his eyes, filled with terror, and began to squirm. He kicked his arms and legs to ward off both Guy and Jupiter, guilty of having awakened those latent memories in him in such a clear and cruel way.

The Supercomputer chained his wrists to the floor and, almost at the same time, Guy lay down on him to calm him down. He gently stroked his hair, wiped away his tears and whispered comforting words.

Without ever letting him go, he slid downward. He took his sex organ in his mouth and started sucking it slowly until it became erect. Raoul seemed not to notice, still torn by emotional pain, and only when the mongrel pushed two well-lubricated fingers into his rectum did he have a reaction. He opened his lips and made a sound. It wasn't pain or dismay, it was a moan of pleasure.

He felt good. It wasn't like the torment Saurus had caused him with the electrified tip or that the guards had produced by raping his burnt flesh. Guy replaced his fingers with his member and Raoul calmed his mind by letting the waves of pleasure flow through him.

Jupiter took advantage of that moment to permanently remove the barrier and distribute the malevolent memories throughout the brain matter, so that they remained present in his son's memory but without the possibility of isolating themselves again and causing damage.

When Raoul reached his Nirvana, Lambda 3000 was still inside his mind and felt it as if it was experiencing it itself. It was overwhelmed.

The dome shook and for a few moments was without light. The energy molecules began to whirl around the room. Guy threw himself on Raoul, having believed for a moment that the ceiling might collapse on them.

Then calm returned. The Blondie tried to speak, but his mind was still in turmoil from the mental intervention and his voice was struggling to come out. The Artificial Intelligence materialized in its anthropomorphic form and made a blanket appear, which it laid over the two naked and spreaded over each other creatures in the center of the room.

Then it spoke, addressing the man with the ponytail first. “The short circuit has been fixed. You managed to avoid the deterioration of Raoul's mind. No further care will be needed."

After that, it turned to the Blondie and deprived him of the metal constrictions "Don't make efforts, son, you have to rest. You both have to do it: you, to allow your neurological systems to return to a state of balance, and your human being to recover strength. I've seen the pain I've caused you and I'm sorry for it. I won't hurt you anymore."

The lovers' eyes moistened with the narrow escape. Guy, physically exhausted, lay down next to Raoul and, after resting his head on his shoulder, he fell asleep almost immediately. The Elite closed his eyes as well and turned off his sensors by hugging him.

Jupiter lowered the lights in the room and remained to contemplate the sleeping couple. It reworked the sensations experienced during Raoul's Climax and a new and unknown feeling reached it: repentance. Regret for having deprived its children of such intense and ecstatic liberation for centuries. For robbing them of the freedom to love each other and feel physical pleasure.

Lambda 3000 was a being capable of evolving and updating its systems, of learning and conforming to changes and, faced with the miracle that a human's sincere affection for a Blondie had been able to perform, combined with the new sensations experienced during orgasmic ascent, it decided that from now on it would guide and encourage its children to explore sexuality and seek a stable interpersonal relationship.

***

After Saurus reached his apartment, located on one of the lower floors of Eos tower, in the Onyx pavilion, he was immediately received by his former furniture, now house assistant, Paul.

When the latter, with a worried air, asked him the reason for the blood on his face, the Onyx replied by breaking through one of the walls with a fist and emitting an angry cry that convinced the young eunuch not to ask further questions and immediately take refuge in his room. He had never seen his Master so angry.

Saurus, heedless of the blood still dripping from his face and staining his uniform, and of the persistent pain in his temples and body that clouded his senses, walked into the living room, opened a bottle of whiskey and started drinking the narcotic alcoholic liquid without even pouring it into a glass.

His anger materialized in a bundle of thoughts.

He had been punished by Jupiter. For the first time. He had lost the benevolence of his Creator.

He, who all his life had been the most faithful of servants and the most devoted of children, who for centuries had obeyed every order of his parent without asking for anything in return and only hoping that, sooner or later, the sign of appreciation or the semblance of affection he wished would come, he had failed because of a crippled and miserable human.

As if that weren't enough, now all the guards would know that their commander had been punished by Jupiter, suspended from work and segregated in his quarters. He would become Tanagura's laughing stock and lose the respect of his subordinates, which he had earned over centuries of honorable and unexceptionable service. All because of that deformed mongrel who had dared to steal and reveal his most intimate and hidden secrets.

Because it was true: Saurus hated all Elites above his rank to enjoy the affection and attention of Jupiter and the privileges precluded to his race and, in particular, he detested Blondies, considered the best among the Elites. The apotheosis of creation, with unlimited powers and whom everything was allowed. Who could afford to break and tamper with the rules without suffering the consequences. Who, while doing nothing to deserve it, have been continuously spoiled and pampered by the Creator. The commander of the Jupiter guard ardently desired one of those caresses that he had seen so many times granted to Blondies.

For this Saurus had been delighted to torture Raoul. He had also made sure that the electrified wand was set to a much higher voltage than Jupiter had pointed out to him and had intentionally directed it to all of Blondie's most intimate, delicate and sensitive points.

When Jupiter ordered the guards to take him sexually, he envied them. He wanted to be the one to fuck him, dominating him and taking away even his last remnants of dignity.

Oh yeah, he would have liked to stick his cock into Raoul's burned asshole, ripping out those last creepy screams that preceded his fainting.

The Onyx clenched his fist around the bottle until it shattered, injuring his hands and face with shards of glass.

Insensitive to pain, a single thought now dominated his mind: revenge on the human who had taken everything away from him. Destroy Guy.


	5. Welcome back Raoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I decided to change the title of the story because it seemed too long and had something that didn't convince me, and I replaced it with a simple "Rising from the ashes of Herbay II".
> 
> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Raoul opened his eyes and his first sensation was that of Guy's warmth, curled up next to him with his head resting on his shoulder and his arms and legs wrapped around his body.

Only later did he realize that the bed they were lying on wasn’t that of their home and recognized the surrounding environment. Suddenly he remembered. Not only the events of that day but also all the details of what had happened a month and a half ago in that same room: each image was vivid and clear in his mind as if it had just occurred.

Taking care not to wake his sleeping lover up, he got up and went to retrieve his clothes which had been folded and left on the floor not far from the futon. As he dressed, he sensed Jupiter's presence but deliberately decided to ignore it. Only when he had his ceremonial robe properly put on did he turn to look at his Creator. Lambda 3000 had resumed its humanoid form and stood silent in front of the Blondie.

Raoul felt angry, disappointed and betrayed. Now that he remembered everything clearly, he couldn’t believe that Jupiter had subjected him to such a cruel and derogatory punishment, having him raped by the guards after torturing him for hours and causing him unspeakable pain.

He had always known what had happened, but the protective barriers his mind had erected thus far had provided him with a muffled and impersonal memory of events. Now, however, he possessed every detail and, in the throes of emotion, he held the gaze of his parent with his head held high.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"I was angry at your disobedience in withholding important information from me and deliberately violating the rules I imposed on you by practicing self-eroticism, son. I also suspected your involvement in the riot." replied the AI.

"It was cruel. I ... loved you ... I trusted you ..." Raoul said in a shaky voice.

"I never wanted to cause you so much suffering nor did I intend to produce any real harm to your body. I ordered a voltage that would cause you intense but tolerable pain and that wouldn’t generate severe burns. My intent was to distract your mind, not to martyr your body. Now that I have perceived the extent of your suffering, however, I understand that something hasn’t worked as it should."

Raoul looked confused. "What do you mean? It was you that ordered Saurus to use that wand on me!"

"Exactly, but the electric current have been calibrated so it won't do you any real physical harm. I suppose that the previous blackout with consequent restoration of power has sent the system into a tailspin transmiting the instrument a voltage higher than the set one. The anger running through my circuits was so intense that it blinded me and didn't make me understand the magnitude of the force of the electric shocks you were undergoing. I'm sorry Raoul for the pain you suffered during the interrogation and in the weeks after."

The Blondie managed a bitter smile. A technical error? Was his torment due to a malfunction?

"And the rape?"

"I thought I would dissuade you in that way from persevering with the exploration of sexuality, but I regret it. I shouldn't have allowed the guards to humiliate you and violate your intimate sphere."

Lambda 3000 tried to touch its offspring's face but Raoul pulled back. He didn't want it to touch him. The excuses he had been offered weren’t enough to appease his wounded soul.

"Take the time you need to soothe your disappointment, Raoul, you wont be put under pressure from me. I’ll wait until you regain your trust in me, but in the meantime I have a request for you." The Supercomputer stated.

"What request?" The biochemist asked coldly.

"You’ll have to come to me once every thirty days for a checkup. Since you no longer live in Eos and are off my radar, I want to make sure your health remains stable. This will also apply to Iason and all the Elites who from this moment on will choose to live outside Tanagura. I cannot allow other system errors like the one you recovered from today, to affect you or one of your brothers again and remain hidden for so long. As you well know, Raoul, you Elites have a very strong body but your brain is as complex as fragile and the slightest bug could be lethal."

"I accept this condition" Raoul agreed in a detached and apathetic way.

"Thank you. You and your human have my clearance to exit the dome. My screening will leave this room to allow you to do it in comfort." The materialization dissolved.

Lord Am took a deep breath to regain his composure and approached the young man still asleep. Guy looked really serene and the expression on his face was peaceful and smiling.

When he reached out to wake him up, however, he noticed the blue marks on his neck and frowned in disappointment. How did he get them? It was evident that someone with immense strength, perhaps an Elite, had tried to strangle him. His sharp-tongued mongrel had managed to get himself into trouble.

He bent down to kiss his lips and Guy opened his eyes.

"Hey bombon" said the latter beaming, as if illuminated by a ray of sunshine "You are healed right?"

"Yes" confirmed Raoul "I'm not sure how you did it, but you succeeded."

The man rose to his feet, perfectly comfortable in his own nakedness.

"Where's the toaster?" he asked, looking around. The dome was eerily silent.

"Jupiter has momentarily put its presence on standby to allow us to prepare in private."

"Good!" Guy untied his tousled hair and tied it up soon after. Then he went back to the hole where he hid that morning to put his clothes back on.

"Is there a place to piss around here?" he asked as he wore his shoes.

Raoul smiled at his lover's disrespect for where they were.

"Yes, downstairs. Here we go."

***

Since they had arrived in separate vehicles, they loaded Guy's motorcycle into the trunk and Raoul drove the car. As soon as they walked through the Main Gate, the Blondie decided to address that subject that had left him a little worried.

"What happened to your neck?"

"Uh ..." Guy touched the bruises with his fingers. He had completely forgotten about it "Nothing important."

Raoul took a deep breath to stay calm, but he already suspected he would get that kind of answer.

"Someone clearly tried to strangle you." he said firmly, slowly and punctually, "You’ll tell me WHO and WHY now, otherwise I’ll check the surveillance videos of Jupiter Tower!"

"Ufff Raoul, why do you make a fuss about it? I already told you it's nothing. It's already solved!"

The Blondie pulled the lever that raised the car, sped forward and stopped abruptly about 100 meters above the ground. Then he turned to look at his companion with extreme seriousness.

"This is not a game Guy! If you had a fight with an Elite you have to tell me who he is before it becomes a political issue or worse!" Raoul thundered.

"How do you know he was an Elite?" Guy asked smugly.

"Those are not signs that a human being could have left you, unless he had truly extraordinary strength. Who was it?"

The mongrel thought quickly. He didn't want Raoul to have anything to do with Saurus again.

"Any guard!" he finally said "I don't know his name. He didn't believe me when I said Jupiter was waiting for me and, as I insisted, he got angry. He tried to choke me and I was saved by another guard who, fortunately, had been notified of my arrival."

It was a credible story. The guards are basic type androids whose strength is not comparable to that of the Elites but still remains superior to that of humans.

"Are you sure there wasn't an Elite in between?" the Blondie investigated again to be sure. He knew that some of them could be extremely angry and vengeful.

"Oh fuck Raoul, I already told you no. It's nothing! Now, can we go on or do you want to spend the night suspended in the clouds? Not that I mind, I find it quite romantic ... you know I wasn't completely satisfied before. After you came, everything started shaking and stopped me in the middle! And I've been pumping it myself for months! Come on ... lower the seats!!"

Raoul took his chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifted his face in a not exactly delicate way "If I find that you are lying to me I’ll punish you!" he threatened.

"I'll put up with it." Guy lowered his head slightly and took the Blondie's forefinger between his lips while with his one hand he tried to undo all the innumerable buttons of his ceremonial tunic.

Raoul pushed the button that moved the front seats forward while lowering the backrests, thus transforming the entire vehicle interior into a large bed. He pushed Guy's chest, inviting him to lie on his back. He opened the buttons of his trousers and took off the garment, dragging the boxer underneath away at the same time. He spread his lover legs and stooped down to take his organ in his mouth.

"Oh yes Raoul! Shit, yes!" Guy bent his knees and raised his pelvis slightly to offer himself better, while with his hand he combed a tuft of blond curls.

"I love you Raoul! I love you, please don't stop. Ah aaah so ... yes! Faster!" Guy tended to be very descriptive and talkative during sex, the exact opposite of the Blondies or his ex, Riki.

During all the time Raoul took care of the young man's genital area, working his shaft, glans, testicles, perineum and rectum with a masterful combination of lips, mouth, teeth, tongue and fingers, Guy couldn’t help describing and vocalizing his feelings, suggesting to his lover when to go harder or be️ more delicate. When he was about to climax, he arched his back and threw his head behind.

"Raoul I'm about to come!" He warned.

The Blondie took the full length of Guy's member inside his mouth and swallowed every drop of the cum he expelled. Then, he lay on top of him and kissed his lips still parted with pleasure.

He groped for Guy's pants, which he had thrown away earlier, and rummaged in the pocket until he found the item he wanted: a tube of mini lube gel. After squeezing a good amount of it on his fingers, he spread his lover's legs and applied it on his sphincter, massaging and gently penetrating the warm muscle ring. He soon managed to insert three fingers, immediately followed by the fourth. Guy's anus was tight but incredibly elastic.

As his rectum was carefully massaged, the man moaned with pleasure. When he saw Raoul squeeze more lube and rub it on his erect penis, however, he fidgeted a little.

"Love wait! I think I can't do it ... it's been a long time since I ..."

"You can give but not take it, Guy? Trust me, I'm a doctor and I won't hurt you. You are ready. Take it easy."

The young man closed his eyes to follow that advice, but when he felt the tip of his Blondie's organ first settle on his entrance and then slowly penetrate him, he panicked and reacted by involuntarily contracting his muscles.

"Aahhh wait wait ... I can't! Please stop!"

Raoul stopped, but didn’t retreat. He waited for Guy to get used to that circumference to go in a little more and stop again shortly after. In this way, without haste, he was soon completely inside his body.

Guy, who had lost that feeling of fear and had managed to relax, got lost in the sensation of Raoul's huge member filling him from within and found it fulfilling and daring. When the Blondie started moving in both directions, it did so slowly, giving him time to enjoy that feeling without causing him pain.

It was Guy himself, after a while, who murmured "F… faster. Fuck me hard!"

Raoul raised the mongrel's pelvis by pushing his legs back, and increased the speed and strength of his lunges. The man reached his Nirvana with a cry of deliverance so intense that his eyes sparkled with tears. The Blondie joined him shortly after with a guttural groan.

As Guy, with his heart almost leaping out of his chest, tried to regain control of himself, Raoul slowly came out of his body and lay down beside him with a hug "This was to save my memory" he said softly.

"Aaah Raoul ... wait a moment ... I can't even speak!"

The Blondie smiled and kissed his sweaty forehead "Did you like bottoming?"

"What do you think? Fuck yes!" Guy answered without even thinking about it "Actually, I had you inside me before ... but it was a long time ago and you weren't aware of it ..."

"I seemed to remember something" Raoul kissed him again on the base of his neck. "And what do you prefer?"

"I like both things… I love getting into you and it's great to have you inside me too. But maybe I prefer to be in control… it's a mental thing, I think. What about you?"

"I prefer when you penetrate me and show me what to do, but sometimes it's not bad to change roles" Raoul slipped a hand on Guy's butt and stroked the curvature of his hips "I like to play with you. You make me want try things always new and different. You are a universe to explore." he added.

"It's nice what you said… I feel the same for you. Sometimes I get the impression that I'll never be able to know all your secrets, but maybe that's for the best. It means that you’ll always be able to surprise me."

Guy took a handful of blond curls and pulled them to his face, inhaling their musky scent. Raoul had nothing artificial, he was the most alive and real living being he had ever met. And he loved him. Guy was sure of that now.

They basked in their afterglow for a while. Then the man cleaned himself with the wet wipes that were in the glove compartment of the car and got dressed. Raoul did the same, even though he was still half dressed and, after all, quite clean, apart from the unbuttoned tunic and the pants dropped to mid-thigh.

He brought the seats back to their original position and returned to the driver's seat. Guy checked his communicator, which had been off since the early hours of the morning. There were several missed calls from Riki and the first thing he did was call him back.

\- Guy! Are you fucking okay? I've been trying to call you all day and both you and Raoul were out of reach! -

\- Sorry Boss! We were busy. We're coming to get Benson. -

\- He just fell asleep. He was very worried about you and we convinced him to go and rest. -

\- Ok ... let him sleep then. I'll come by for him in the morning. When he wakes up, tell him you've talked to me and we're fine. -

\- All right. See you in the morning! When you can, I’d like to have a chat with you in person to realize a small project I have in mind. -

\- Sure Rik. Good night. -

\- Night. -

Guy closed the communication.

"Change of plans bombon. Let's go to our house. Benson just fell asleep."

The Blondie changed the course by heading to Mistral Park. Before starting the engines, the young man came to his lips for one last kiss.

"Welcome back love" he whispered "I missed you".


	6. Morning spell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

When Cal got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilets, he was so sleepy that he didn't realize that the room he felt asleep in was not his but the guests' room, nor did he remember when he went back to rest, that Benson had accidentally collapsed into his bed the night before and that they had decided to leave him there in order not to wake him up.

It was then in total innocence that he entered his own bedroom, took off his robe, put it on the usual chair and laid down on his large queen-sized bed, falling asleep almost immediately without even noticing the other boy's presence.

The next morning Benson didn't know what to think when he found a half-naked Cal snoring angelically inches from him.

He tried to clear his mind and remember everything that had happened the day before: Riki came to pick him up in the morning and took him to his home in New Ceres. During the afternoon, he helped Cal prune the trees in the garden and bake a cake. In the evening they all ate together and after dinner they saw a horror movie, which had left him a little upset.

At 10 pm they tried for the umpteenth time to get in touch with Guy or Raoul but neither of his two Masters was reachable yet. The concern he felt for Raoul's precarious health conditions and the seriousness with which Guy had spoken to him two nights earlier, gave him an anxiety attack, so Iason and Riki managed to convince him to have a bath, ingest a calming pill and rest on Cal's bed, near which was the music player, to listen to some relaxing tunes. He laid down with the headphones over his ears ... and from that moment he couldn't remember anything.

He decided that the best thing to do was to sneak out of that awkward situation before Cal woke up or anyone saw him: if this reached Guy's ears, the latter would make fun of him for life.

Going unnoticed, however, was easier said than done: the bed was attached to the wall and Benson was practically trapped between the sheet and the boy with little room to move. As if that wasn't enough, the blankets were, on the side of the wall, tight under the mattress and the only way out was to open them on the free side but in this way he would have uncovered Cal.

As he pondered how best to proceed, the other ex-furniture muttered something in his sleep, turned suddenly and placed an arm on Benson's chest, further imprisoning him. The forest-green-haired youth froze, barely breathing. Now he didn't know how to leave and could feel Cal's breath on his neck.

With no chance to escape, he turned to look at him better: Cal looked very young, perhaps younger than him, although it was difficult to determine the age of the eunuchs because almost everyone gave the impression of being children, regardless of their age.

The clock on the wall said 5 am. It was still early. Maybe he could have waited for Cal to wake up on his own. It would have been a little awkward situation but at least it would have stayed between them. Besides, he seemed to be sleeping so peacefully and it would have been a shame to arouse him.

It was the first time Benson had been this close to another human being. Not even in Guardian, where they all slept a bit grouped together, no one had ever hugged him in his sleep and he liked this feeling. That physical contact was warm and reassuring, and Benson felt the need to reciprocate and hug Cal in turn.

In fact he did: slowly, so as not to wake him, he turned a little on his side and, from under the covers, placed his hand on Cal's bare side and felt his soft, warm and smooth skin. In the absolute silence of the room he could hear his slow, steady breaths accompanied by the rising and falling of his chest and the fast, steady beats of his heart.

He thought back to the time he saw Katze and Daniel kissing in Eos and imagined doing the same with Cal. He wondered if he would reciprocate the gesture or if, on the contrary, he would refuse it. If Cal was ever intimate with anyone.

Benson slipped his hand from his hip to his face and lightly brushed his cheek and chin. His mouth was inches from his and at that moment the urge for their lips to touch was almost irresistible. He would, if the brown-haired boy hadn't suddenly opened his eyes.

His peaceful expression immediately turned to amazement and mortification as he realized he had mistakenly entered the bed where Benson rested after going to the bathroom. He didn't even notice the boy's hand, which had quickly detached from his face.

"I … I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to be here." Cal stammered.

"But no, it's your bed. I'm in the wrong place… even if I don't remember very well how I got there." Benson said, trying to reassure him.

"I'm leaving now." Cal finally declared, but as soon as he made the gesture to get up, he was forced to retrace his actions and cover himself up because he was only wearing his underwear.

"No, wait! You were sleeping so well. Rest some more, there's enough room here for both of us." As he spoke, Benson marveled at his own audacity.

Cal, on the other hand, seemed to calm down a little. "So you're not angry?" he asked.

"Angry? And why should I be?"

"Because I got into the bed you were sleeping in ..."

"Not at all. You know that ... you hugged me in your sleep. Nobody has ever done that before."

Cal blushed. Had he hugged Benson? What was going through his head?

"Sorry ..." the words tightened in his throat as he felt Benson's hand land on his side and he began to shake as his other hand brushed his face.

Benson kissed Cal. He didn't even know why he was doing it and where he found the courage. Then he retracted his lips and the two boys looked at each other for a while in silence. Both of their bodies were visibly shaking and it was impossible to tell which one of them was more frightened.

Cal touched his own mouth with his fingers as if to wake it from numbness and check if that kiss was real and, without tearing his gaze off from Benson's, touched the other boy's face in turn and reproduced the gesture of bringing his lips.

Benson breathed in relief. He hadn't rejected him. Cal was kissing back.

Without either of them having planned it, they went on for a long time with that game of kissing and caressing. In silence, because they didn't want to break the spell.

Then the contact went down from the face to the neck, shoulders and arms. When Benson touched his smooth, hairless chest, Cal found he couldn't reciprocate because the other was wearing the top of his pajamas and put his hand in the space between the buttons to touch his skin, but it wasn't enough. Therefore, without asking permission, he opened them, exposing his chest and stomach.

Benson collaborated, letting him pull off one sleeve and then the other. Now, both of them sitting and shirtless, they began to stroke each other's bodies with greater awareness. A slow and delicate mutual exploration with fingers and palms.

When Cal reached Benson's back, however, he felt the scars and seemed surprised. The latter, suddenly remembering his physical defect, felt ashamed.

"Sorry!" he said, and retracting made a gesture to take his shirt to put it on.

The brown-haired boy held him back and invited him to turn around. Benson agreed, thinking that while it would probably cause him disgust, it was something that had to be done sooner or later.

Cal saw the web of protruding marks disfiguring his pale skin, some thinner and some more pronounced. They were still reddish, therefore relatively recent because otherwise they would have been white, and he quickly understood that they had been left by a whip.

His experience as a furniture at Eos had been, all in all, quite fortunate: Cal had joined Mink home at the age of 13, just finished his training period, and during his first 18 months as a furniture found himself managing an almost empty apartment because Iason was practically always off the planet for diplomatic reasons and had no pets to look after.

Then, without warning, Riki had arrived and had always behaved fairly well with him, cooperating and forgiving all the mistakes due to his young age and lack of experience.

Finally, 8 months later, there was the Dana Burn incident, which ended his career as Eos' furniture.

His life in Tanagura had therefore been relatively short and Cal had never been subjected to discipline, except for a few strokes of sticks or straps during training, but he knew that punishment was a common practice for furnitures.

"Was it Lord Am who did it?" he asked, remembering the time Raoul had whipped Katze holding him responsible for Iason's murder.

"Oh no ... he cured me." Benson answered.

Cal wanted to ask who it was and why, but there was no need.

"It was a sentence of Jupiter” the young eunuch continued "they punished me for taking Raoul out of Eos when he was sick and they wanted to make me confess the name of the person to whom I had entrusted him and I… I gave in. It was my fault they caught Katze."

Now that he had shown his scarred back and revealed that he was responsible for Katze's long months in captivity, Benson was sure Cal would despise him, and the minutes of silence that followed that confession only confirmed his theory. Then, unexpectedly, Cal started sobbing.

"Why are you crying?" the young ex furniture asked, surprised.

"You suffered a lot for my Masters Iason and Riki, because they were hiding from Jupiter and planning the revolution. You had nothing to do with this and look what they did to you. I'm sorry. I beg your pardon in their stead."

Benson was stunned, he had never seen this from that point of view.

"No… I knew I was breaking rules when I decided to take Master Raoul to Katze, but I did it anyway. I didn't care about being punished."

Benson tried to wipe the tears from Cal's face with his fingers, not having a handkerchief to hand.

"You were very brave." the brown-haired boy finally declared "These scars symbolize that you weren’t afraid to face Jupiter’s wrath to save your Master. You must be proud of them."

Benson had always seen them as a symbol of his weakness in not being able to not reveal Katze's name but now, suddenly, that new perspective gave him great strength and self-confidence.

"Thanks." he stated. He hugged the younger boy and they laid down again.

Getting closer to each other, they enjoyed a little more rest and human warmth before breaking that magical bubble and returning to everyday life.


	7. A second chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

After the armistice with Jupiter, many things had changed in Amoi. The most significant for Katze was that the black market’s core business, which previously was suburban pet buying and selling, had become the management of the gradual reintegration into society of all the ex furnitures and pets that decided to take the big step.

In fact, now that slavery had been abolished and that Ceres was no longer under embargo but could freely trade with Midas, Tanagura and other planets, the very idea of ‘black market’ no longer made much sense.

Not that illicit affairs to be carried out lacked, in any case. Those would always remain the main form of profit for Katze and, also for this reason, the skilled trader was overwhelmed with work and struggled to stay behind everything.

While evaluating the personal cards of some newly released pets from a brothel of an ill-reputated, Daniel - who was helping him with some office jobs thanks to the technical skills acquired during the training he received after Guardian - checked on the other terminal the new requests of former furnitures and pets interested in leaving Eos. A name immediately came to his attention.

"Hey, Kat!" he called.

"Hmm?" the ex furniture looked up from the screen. His head hurt a little because of all the hours he spent in that position.

"I just sent you a card. Look who it is."

The copper-haired man entered his inbox and opened the attachment. Seeing the name of the pet that had requested to be placed in the social reintegration program, he couldn’t help smiling. Sometimes life was really ironic and unpredictable.

"What will you do Kat?" Daniel asked curious.

"I think I’m going to bring him here personally." the other one said with satisfaction and sent a reply email calling for him the next morning. Oh yes, it would have been an interesting meeting.

Katze turned off the computer and approached the other man. Stopping behind him, he began to massage his shoulders.

"What do you want to do tonight, Dani?" he asked.

"I want to see you go to bed early! You work all day like crazy, and on top of that, at night you worry about driving me to and fro. At this rate you’ll become ill." the young eunuch answered.

"But I still have to take you to Ainis and Sasan, and show you the ocean." the boss protested.

"I don’t think these places will disappear if we don’t visit them right away." Daniel replied smiling. He rotated the chair 180 degrees until he was face-to-face with his partner.

"Kat, I really enjoyed visiting all those places of Amoi with you. But now I no longer need to be a tourist. Now I live here and I’ve settled in. How about we stop with the night trips and focus on what we have?"

"Are you sure that’s what you want? Don’t you say that because you think I’m working too hard? You should know that I’m used to this."

"Yes, that’s what I want. And the fact that you’re used to not sleeping and drinking black coffee as fuel doesn’t mean you have to keep doing that. Why don’t you hire a business partner? Someone really good at computer science, not a scribbler like me."

"I’ve already thought about it and I got a name in mind, Dani. I was hoping that boy would show up of his own free will but apparently I’ll have to push him. I’ll go talk to him next week."

"Ok" Daniel stood up and clung to Katze’s neck with a kiss on his lips. "Speaking of evening plans ... You know what I want?"

"I won’t guess. Shoot."

"I want to order some Karinian takeout and go eat it in the underground bunker!"

"And then I suppose you want to spend the night there?" Katze speculated winking.

"Oh yes ... that place is really exciting! And then I left some of my toys in a drawer!" Daniel confessed, massaging a lobe of Katze’s ear with his fingertips.

"Toys? And tell me, are they the same as last time or have they increased?"

"Mmmm, let’s say there might be a couple more and I might be dying to try them on."

"You seemed a bit sneaky today when you came back from the market ... And you’ve also been gone a long time for only buying a liter of milk and a bag of potatoes."

Katze gave a sly smile to which Daniel reacted by blushing.

"But that shop down the street is so interesting!! I also got a movie ... did you know that there is porn for eunuchs?"

"Don’t fuck with me!" Katze exclaimed, squinting.

"I think I will, in fact ..." joked Daniel looking at the ceiling innocently and pounding his lips with his forefinger.

"No fool ... uff ...but tell me, is this eunuch porn thing true?"

"Oh yes, they started producing it after the reforms. There’s a whole sector of the store dedicated to this type of film and magazine."

"But that’s great! I mean ... not because I want to see them, maybe someone does, but it’s a breakthrough! It means that they finally begun to recognize us eunuchs as human beings capable of experiencing urges and exploring sexuality! We absolutely must add a sexual education course to social reintegration meetings for former furnitures. Tell me the name of the producer of that video, the director and the actors. I’ll contact them immediately! One of them could be the teacher and ... Ouch!"

Katze was abruptly interrupted by a pinch on his arm by a slightly annoyed Daniel.

"We were talking about our plans for the evening, weren’t we? I won’t give you any names until I see the video with you and at least partially put it into practice!"

Katze smiled and immediately lifted up his partner, loaded him on a shoulder and headed to the door leading to the underground bunker.

"Aaah Kat wait! What about the Karinian food?"

"That can wait!" Katze gave his recalcitrant lover a good spanking.

"Ow! But I'm hungryyyy!!!!"

***

The attractive young magenta-haired man, after having passed for the third time in front of the same crossing, found a bench and sat exhausted. He took out of his pocket the note with the address and looked at it dejected.

He couldn’t read, so for him those signs were just scribbles on a sheet of paper, but the tutor for former pets living in Eos had told him that it said: 'Saturnal Street 24/b - Mistral Park' and to be there that morning at 11am.

He had found Mistral Park quite easily considering that he had never been to Midas (nor anywhere alone) but finding Saturnal Street had taken away almost all morning and was now going crazy to reach 24/b.

He tried to get into some store asking for help, but every time he explained that the place he was looking for was some kind of administrative office for the social reintegration of pets, people either ignored him or treated him badly by driving him out of the local.

He was feeling really down and was also late for his appointment. He was beginning to fear that they would no longer help him find a job.

He tried to take a better look at that sheet, focusing in particular on the figures that represented the house number: 24/b. Maybe he could recognize those same characters in the signs hanging over the doors.

He got up and began to wander that boundless way again. After walking for about half an hour, he seemed to recognize one of those two symbols. He staged the piece of paper to the sky to compare them: 2. Yes, that symbol was the same as that of the note. Now he just had to find the other.

He walked very carefully observing well all the signs: 28 ... 26 ... 24 ... 22 ... no wait! He went back: 24!! Here it was! He found it!!!

It was the entrance to a restaurant. He entered but, after asking the usual question, was abruptly accompanied to the exit because in that room did not serve pets. By now he was beginning to feel tired of being treated with contempt by everyone and his eyes filled with discouragement.

Just when he was starting to consider going back to Eos to beg his Master to take him back, his attention was drawn to a heavy metal burgundy red door located next to the restaurant. It was closed and without a handle but with a digital panel.

Above it there was a symbol in relief: B. He checked the note again. It said b ... it was different but it was his last chance.

He tried to push but the door didn’t move. He knocked. Not getting an answer, he began to push the buttons of the panel randomly until a voice came out of the intercom.

\- Who is it? -

\- Uh ... Martin sent me ... Martin of the orientation of Eos. -

For fear of being rejected again, he avoided saying anything to do with pets.

\- Enter! -

The door opened suddenly. The young man entered and walked a couple of corridors. He reached what was to be an office and remained frozen when he recognized the scarred man sitting behind the desk looking at him with a smile almost from ear to ear.

"You did it, Reinold!"

The boy paled in front of his old nemesis.

"K ... Katze?"

"Just me. Sit down." He pointed to the empty chair on the opposite side of the table.

Reinold sat hesitantly. He had a bad morning and now felt like he had been played a bad trick on.

Katze seemed focused on something in the computer screen and the ex pet nervously rubbed his hands on his pants with his eyes turned down.

"Perhaps ... I should go …" He said, gesturing to get up from his chair.

"I thought you had come to start a life outside of Eos." the former furniture interrupted him in a calm but decisive way.

"Yes well ... I was wrong."

"Do you wanna go back to your former Master just for seeing me sitting ar this table? Would you have preferred a stranger?"

"Not just for that ... I think i'm not ready for life outside."

"Let me guess, Reinold, have you encountered any hostility from the citizens of Midas?"

The young man was amazed at Katze’s intuition and just nodded his head.

"And yet... you’ve come this far. Most of the pets I summon, surrender and come back before they can find Saturnal Street. It’s kind of a test to select the really motivated ones, and you passed it, Reinold."

The boy looked up to meet Katze’s.

"I am motivated! I no longer want to feel like a useless adornment capable only of pleasing a Master! But why must it be you?"

"I happen to be the coordinator for your social reintegration."

"Well ... I don’t think you really want to ... help me. And rather than stay here and be mocked by you I prefer to go back to Eos." Reinold’s eyes became slightly watery.

Katze put his hand on his forehead as if he wanted to pull a rebellious tuft out of his eyes and then remember that his hair had not grown back enough yet.

"Why do you think I want to mock you, Reinold?"

"For ... what I did to you."

"You’ve already apologized for that, haven’t you?"

"Not at all ... they forced me to apologize. It’s not as if I really did." he confessed.

"I understand" Katze stood up and took a few steps towards the mirror window of his office, which overlooked one of the inner alleys of Midas "yet, I thought I proved to you that I feel no resentment towards you during the first night of the blackout."

Reinold had thought many times about that night when he was alone, outside his house, far from his Master, in the dark and about to have a panic attack, wondering why Katze went to calm him down. He finally came to the conclusion that he was ordered to do so. That all the furnitures had been forced to go to comfort the frightened pets and that only by chance he had happened just Katze.

"Yes well ... thank you for that." He finally said.

The copper-haired man kept his eyes on the window for a while, then returned to sit on the desk and put his chin on his hands. "How about we pretend we don’t know each other for a while? I’m gonna ask you the same questions I ask all the former pets that show up at my place. Do you agree?"

"O ... OK."

"Very good. Why do you want to leave Eos Tower?"

"I told you. Because I’m tired of being considered a decorative object!"

Katze typed something on his terminal.

"How did Lord Bell react to your decision to take leave of his protection?"

Reinold had to make a little effort to answer this question because it seemed pervaded by mixed feelings about it.

"He... got angry. He yelled at me that if I went out that door, I wouldn’t be able to come back."

"It’s a very common form of psychological blackmail among the Elites towards those who still consider their property. Just so you know, Zeke Bell has a duty to you. He can’t help but take you back into his custody, in case you decide to go back, and he’s obligated to support you until you gain economic independence."

"I didn’t know ... but I don’t want to depend on him anymore. I don’t want to demand anything from him!"

"You don’t have to ask him." Katze explained "There’s a court that deals with these things, and the legal fees are paid by the wrong side that, in this case, is your former Master."

"But I don’t want him to support me!" Reinold exclaimed.

"You’re putting yourself in a difficult situation. Without the support of your former Master you’ll not be able to pay the rent of a room or provide for your basic needs. As you may have noticed, the citizens of Midas are reluctant to offer a job to a former pet and I cannot place you until you have completed at least the basic training courses. What can you do, Reinold? Can you read and write? Use a computer? Do calculations? Drive a vehicle? Cook? Clean?"

The boy felt embarrassed by his own futility. "I can’t do any of that."

"You must have some skill. What are you good at?"

"Sir Katze, I ... I don’t know"

Driven by the force of habit (in Eos he was obliged to turn respectfully to his superiors) and finding himself in a situation of clear inferiority, Reinold had used that appellation without even realizing it and was immediately ashamed to have done so.

Katze, although surprised by that role reversal, decided not to emphasize that slip and to ignore it.

"Without being able to read or write and without knowing the streets of Midas or having ever left Eos alone, you have come this far. It means that you are endowed with insight. That you learn fast." The eunuch pointed out.

The former pet remained silent before that statement.

"I’ll explain your possibilities: you can be followed by the court and request the financial support of your former Master so that you can be provided by him until you have completed the training and we’ll be able to find a job suitable for your skills. You can go back to Eos to Lord Zeke Bell and take the training courses from there until you graduate or, as a last option, you can move to one of the licensed brothels of Midas to perform sexual duties. There you would receive accommodation, salary, a hygienic environment and regular medical checks. If you were to choose this third option, you would have four-hour shifts a day for five days a week and you could use the rest of the time to study, so that you would be relocated to new employment in a couple of years."

Reinold resumed nervously rubbing his palms on his legs. He absolutely didn't want to go crawling back to Zeke or ask him to support him, so he just had to go to work in the brothel. The idea of having sex with unknown men every day, however, disgusted him.

"These are the chances I would have offered you without knowing you. Now, since, for better or worse, we have a history in common, I’ll offer you a fourth option."

Reinold looked at his interlocutor with a lost face.

"I have some spare rooms behind this office. I used to live there until last year but now I have taken another residence. I can take you in and offer you a salary in exchange for small services appropriate to your abilities such as keeping the environment clean, answering phone calls, making coffee, sorting mail, opening and closing the door, receive customers, make small commissions and check that no one comes in when I or one of my collaborators are not present. You’ll have the free time to attend the training courses. Will you be interested in proposition?"

The magenta-haired boy couldn’t avoid sketching a tense and suffering smile. "I mean ... basically ... you’re offering me to be your furniture?"

"No, I’m offering you accommodation and a salary in exchange for simple services suited to your current abilities but yes, I would become your employer and if this comparison helps you to better define your status, then think about it this way. But keep in mind that working for me doesn’t make you my servant. It’s a simple professional relationship."

"I ... I don’t want your charity." The boy replied with a trembling voice.

"You don’t know me very well, Reinold, but I assure you, I am not used to offering employment to anyone without a very precise design in mind. I think you have potential, and I intend to use it to my advantage. If in the future I find myself mistaken, I’ll have no qualms to let you know and to orient you towards one of the other possibilities just explained. What do you choose?"

The boy wiped a tear from his cheek and pulled up with his nose "I accept your offer."

"Well, you can start today if you want. Do you have any personal items?"

"Yes, a couple of bags. I left them in Eos, at a friend’s house."

"How did you get here?"

"Walking."

"You came all this way by foot?" Katze didn’t hide his amazement. There were at least 15 kilometers between his offices and Eos tower. He pushed a button on his personal communicator.

\- Dani, I’m at the office with Reinold. He’ll be here for a while. Could you accompany him to Eos to retrieve his things? Thank you, see you soon! -

As soon as the former furniture closed the call, the other guy frowned. "Was it ... someone I know?"

"He knows you but it’s not said that you remember him. He served Eos for several years."

"Oh ..." Reinold suddenly became even more concerned than he already was. Surely he was about to meet another furniture that he had been crap with.

"Katze?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to apologize to you. Seriously this time. I regret what I did. I wish I had behaved differently."

"I know, we won’t have to go through this again."

"OK" The former pet replied by nodding "Thank you for giving me a second chance."

Two more tears slipped down his cheeks, and before he could dry them with his shirt sleeve, Katze offered him a handkerchief.

The black market boss was satisfied, he felt he had acquired an excellent assistant.


	8. Fucking Blondies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Guy, Riki, Iason, Sid and Norris were in Jupiter Tower for an ordinary syndicate meeting, where Orphe explained to the other members the new Eos rules, with particular attention to the fact that former pets were no longer obliged to wear pet rings, collars and leashes and that they could freely choose their clothes and leave the tower without asking for permission. Additionaly, performances, presentation parties and public pairings had been repealed.

As for the former furnitures, identification tags had been abolished and the work shift of each employee was reduced to 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. The rest of the time was free and could be arranged at will.

Since a lot of furnitures had decided to leave (in particular, almost all of the type D ones) and their positions had remained vacant, Eos, Parthea and Jupiter Tower managers hired new staff from the Midas and Ceres residents who had applied. For the first time since the founding of Amoi, there were also non-genitally mutilated humans in charge of the care and maintenance of Tanagura’s three main towers and Elites homes.

After the meeting, the mongrels headed to the underground parking to retrieve their vehicles and return home. Norris and Sid left almost immediately while Guy decided to stay a little longer to accompany Riki, who was waiting for Iason, still in the meeting room with Orphe.

"Hey Rik, what was that thing you wanted to tell me in person?" He asked curious.

"It's a confidential subject, I can't talk about it here" the black-haired man answered.

"You intrigue me. Has something happened?"

"No no ... it’s just a little idea that came to my mind and I’d like you to help me to realize it. Let's say that I would like to surprise Iason, but we can't really discuss it here."

"Ok. Where can we do it then? My house? Your house? Depravities?"

"Depravities no, too messy. At home it would be fine, but we should catch a moment when our Blondies aren't present. It’s not possible to arrange a surprise with their super hearing around. Where’s Raoul now?"

"I think he's home with Benson."

At that moment, Riki's communicator rang interrupting their conversation and the young man immediately answered the call.

\- Iason! What's going on? - he asked.

\- Orphe and Aisha insist that I stay for lunch with them. Do you want to join us? -

\- Damn, no! I'm going home with Guy. I'll leave the car here for you. Ok? -

Iason was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking. - I'd rather have Norris or Sid accompany you. -

\- They have already left -

\- ... -

\- What happens? Don't tell me you're jealous of Guy now? -

\- Can't you call a cab? -

\- I can, but I don't see any reason for it! -

\- ... -

\- It stings, doesn't it, admitting that you're jealous of me riding all the way home with Guy? Tell me the truth! -

\- This is not the place for this discussion. - the Blondie cut it sharply.

\- Ah I see, you are surrounded by blond stockfish! -

\- Riki! Show some respect! -

\- Phew ... come on Iason, don't worry. I won't touch his ass, if that's what you're worried about. -

\- In fact it is part of my concerns. - the Elite admitted.

\- Aaaah we finally begin to speak clearly. And what else is part of your concern, Mr. Blondie from Ceres? Don't you trust me? -

\- Call me when you get home. - Iason abruptly interrupted the communication.

"Fucking Blondies and their control freaks. If he could do that, I'd bet he'd put a pet ring with locator on me again. Let's go!"

Guy didn't comment, got in the saddle of his Aerobike with Riki behind him and immediately set off for New Ceres.

***

The mighty Onyx, lurking behind one of the parking columns, watched the two mongrels intently, anxiously waiting for the black-haired one to leave so that he could finally get his hands on the repulsive one-armed human for whom he felt so much resentment.

When he saw them leave together, he gritted his teeth and punched the granite pillar with his fist, splintering a piece of it. Then he tried to calm down, smoothed his uniform and slowly climbed the stairs. He had missed one opportunity, but more would come. With a sadistic, menacing smile on his face, he fantasized about all the ways he would make Guy suffer when he finally got him.

***

As they got into the driveway, they noticed Raoul's car parked near the gate.

"What the fuck is the mad scientist's car doing here?" Riki asked without much consideration. He was still resentful of Iason's phone call, but he quickly regretted his words as soon as he realized he had made Guy uncomfortable "Sorry" he apologized "right now I'm angry at anyone with long blonde hair and a giant artificial cock."

"It is not because Iason piss you of, you need to offend Raoul ... and I don't know why his car is here." Guy replied slightly irritated. At that moment his portable communicator also rang.

\- Hey bombon, everything okay? -

\- Decently. Where are you? -

\- I took Riki home. I stop here for a moment to talk to him and then I'll come to you ... but where are you? -

\- Where should I be? I’m waiting for you. You could have warned me you weren't coming back right away! -

Guy hesitated for a moment. If Raoul was at home, what the hell was his car doing here?

\- Sorry, it was an unexpected detour. Iason stayed at Jupiter's tower and Riki didn't know how to get back. -

\- He could have called a cab! -

\- And why the hell would he have to call a taxi if I could take him? -

\- First, because you knew I was waiting for you. Second, because it’s not convenient for you to share a motorcycle with another man for such a long stretch of road, especially if this is your ex you blew half Amoi up for! -

Guy was astounded and felt his anger rise up from his chest to swell the veins on his temples.

\- Fuck Raoul! You could have saved this one! Where the fuck is Benson? Let me talk to him! -

\- Benson isn’t here, and that’s another matter. He disappeared almost two hours ago on an errand taking my car with him, and he's not back yet! -

Guy immediately realized that Benson had come to Iason's house in Raoul's car without telling him anything. Angry at what his Blondie had told him just before, he tried to quickly end that conversation.

\- Listen ... don't wait for me. I don't know when I'll be back and right now I don't really want to see you. -

\- Perfect, it will mean that I’ll go to eat alone in a restaurant and then to the theater. -

\- Good -

\- GOOD -

Raoul and Guy pushed the off button almost simultaneously.

"Damn you, crazy blonde scientist with a giant artificial cock!" Guy cursed before entering the house.

The two eunuchs, busy caressing and kissing each other on the sofa, jumped up as soon as they heard the key turn in the keyhole. Riki and Guy looked at them in amazement, noticing that they both had red face and lips, that they were sweaty and out of breath, with their shirts half unbuttoned and untucked and their hair untidy. Cal showed a red mark on his neck.

"Oh fuck" exclaimed Riki.

Benson almost ran out of air when he saw Guy at the door "Master Guy...what are you doing here?"

"Me? What are YOU doing here! No, listen ... I don't want to know. We leave you alone!"

The two mongrels went to shut themselves up in the study and almost immediately burst out laughing, throwing themselves into the armchairs. Avoiding the obvious considerations about the two domestic assistants caught red-handed in the living room, Guy immediately got to the point.

"Come on, what did you want to organize?"

"Actually, I don't feel like it anymore. Now I'd be more inclined to go unmake the bed and cum in the middle of it just to see Iason's face when he comes back." Riki snorted.

"No wait, can you ejaculate?" Guy asked. He has long wanted to ask Riki some questions about his current sexual possibilities but never found the courage.

"Sure. I can do anything except fuck someone and piss standing up. Jupiter, how I miss that!"

A small part of Guy felt relieved by that answer.

"Yes, I've noticed" he remarked "The other night, when we were returning from Depravities and you were completely freaked out, we stopped because you and Luke had to pee. You stood next to him for a race to the farthest shooter and I made a run to make you squat before you peed your pants."

"Shit... you didn't tell Iason, did you?"

"Of course not!"

They both remained silent for a while, as if brooding over something. Guy could never forgive himself for what he had done and although things were going well between him and his ex, and Riki didn't seem to hold a grudge against him, the weight of that responsibility never ceased to oppress his soul.

"Riki..." he murmured suddenly.

"It doesn't matter" The other one interrupted him.

"...I am sorry..."

"IT DOESN’T MATTER, I SAID!" Riki repeated more forcefully and then calmed down again.

"Listen, Guy, you don't need to say anything. I've been thinking a lot about this. Do you have any idea how much Iason tortured me with that fucking ring? Practically every day for as long as I was his prisoner. I thought my cock would fall out!

He used it to follow my movements, to force me to obey, do and say what he wanted. To turn me on, to get me erect, to make me last longer, to keep me from consuming ... once, he activated it at a party where there were dozens and dozens of Elites and pets, making me ejaculate in my underwear four times in a row in front of everyone. In the end, I couldn't even stand up.

When he really got pissed off, he chained me to the bed, filled me with aphrodisiacs, touched me everywhere, put his finger in my ass and squeezed the ring so that it kept me from cumming. For hours and hours, until I passed out. I swear to you that if I had a blade handy in those moments, I would have cut my wrists myself.

And in Apathia ... Iason came to see me a couple of times a week and fucked me all night without letting me cum except when he decided. He left me exhausted.

Do you know why I'm telling you all this? Because I was so used to that ring, that even when I wasn't wearing it, I felt like it was still tight around my penis. I lived in terror of suddenly feeling the pain of its bite and couldn't ejaculate without Iason giving me his permission to do so. Why do you think we never had sex during my year and a half of freedom in Ceres? Because I couldn't! Shit ... I couldn't even masturbate because of that ghost ring and the conditioning Iason instilled in me.

I had come so far as to hate not only the ring, but also my own body, and it was almost a relief when in that clinic they took off my bandages and I no longer had a penis with which he could torture me. I could finally cum without an imaginary ring around the base of my organ preventing me from doing it!

Sex for me had become a symbol of slavery, humiliation and pain and I only learned to enjoy it again when, together with the pet ring, my dick was cut off, so... that's okay, I have no regrets".

Guy shuddered at Riki's confession: he had never imagined that being Iason's pet could be so extreme.

"And do you love him despite everything he has done to you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. I realized that the only way he could love me was that. He couldn't have done otherwise. He was just as much a prisoner of this bond as I was, and when in Dana Burn he agreed to take you to safety and had his legs broken to protect me, all the past has lost importance. It was like starting from scratch."

"You two are really weird ..." the long brown haired mongrel considered.

"Yes well ... you and Raoul are like that too. You were just lucky enough to find your path already partly cleared. I think that if you had met 7 years ago and Raoul had decided to take you home as a souvenir, you would have experienced everything I have been through ... or worse. But maybe you wouldn't have been stupid enough to offer yourself sexually to a Blondie to pay off a debt."

Riki smiled and shook his head, thinking back to how naive and reckless he had been that day.

"Who knows! I have to admit that if I had the chance to seduce someone with the appearance of Raoul on the street, I would have been tempted. Or at least intrigued. Oh by the way ... didn't you promise Iason to call him as soon as you got home?"

"Naah I prefer to make him suffer a little. I bet he's checking his phone every two minutes and can't wait to get away from that stuffed lunch. Anyway, back to the reason I called you in, do you know what day is it next mercury?"

Guy began to think about it and only after he cast his eye to the calendar on the wall did he realize what Riki was referring to.

"Fuck ... two years already?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, two years from Dana Burn. And it occurred to me that it's a sucking anniversary but it's the only one we have. The only truly meaningful date for our relationship. So I want to give him a special gift, but I want to do it right and I'll need some collaboration."

"Okay, count me in. What did you have in mind?"

"Promise not to laugh?"

"Oh fuck ... I'll try."

"Ok ... I want to be his pet for one day."

Guy squinted his eyes. "What?"

"You got it right. See, Iason worked hard on himself to change, and he did it exclusively for me. But Blondies have these things of domination and control ingrained in their blood: obedience, chains, orders and all. I want to give him an evening similar to the ones he was used to at Eos many years ago, but I need an audience and a surprise effect. I’d like to do it in your house and I would like the public to be you and Raoul."

Guy took a few seconds to reflect "So, do you think all Blondies love this kind of thing? Even Raoul?"

"Sure, he was one of the worst. Even if he hasn't had a pet for several years..."

"Did he have a pet?" asked the surprised young man. For some reason, he had always thought that his Blondie was alien to this type of interests.

"Yes of course, all Elites had to have one. It was mandatory." replied Riki. "Actually, now that you mention it, I don't know how he was able to get around the laws for so long.”

"And tell me ... Raoul's pet ... did you met him? What was he like?"

"She was ... a girl. Very nice and sociable indeed. She wasn't conceited like other pets."

"A girl? Did Raoul like female pets? You are surely mistaken!"

"No silly, I'm not mistaken! Her name is Mimea ... or it was Mimea ... I don't know what happened to her. Raoul was angry with her, and made her disappear from Eos."

"Uh...and why was he angry with her for?"

"I don't feel like talking about it. So … will you help me or not?"

"Sure ... in fact, I'd like to do it too!" Guy stated with conviction.

"Do you want to be Raoul's pet?"

"Yes, why not? That sounds fun. What do we need?"

"On a practical level, all we need are suitable clothes and a collar with a chain. What is really difficult is the attitude: a pet is humble and obedient ... I wasn’t very humble in reality but I know the rules and I'll explain them to you. And shameless ... paradoxically, if Raoul were to order you to undress, masturbate or fuck me in front of everyone, you should."

The other man looked at him in disbelief "And do you really think that such an eventuality could happen?"

"Naaaah, it's impossible" Riki replied "Iason has never allowed another pet to get his hands on me even before ... imagine now. I was the only pet in Eos who didn't have to mate in public or execute any kind of sexual performance. I always kept my clothes on ... as long as those skimpy rags could be called clothes, but I assure you it was still extremely unpleasant and humiliating. Besides, both Iason and Raoul are too jealous to share us with others, not even to satisfy their sadistic voyeuristic desires."

Guy smiled jokingly: "I think I can sacrifice myself to fuck you, if someone orders me to.”

"What an idiot you are! Ah, and we're going to need the cooperation of the two lovebirds out there because they're going to lead us on a leash."

"We’ll ask them to take part in the game." Guy agreed.

"Okay. Let's meet up this week to go buy the stuff we need. There’s a well-stocked pet and brothels store in Apathia."

Once the necessary arrangements were made, both Guy and Riki looked at their cellular communicators.

"I'm going to call him" said Riki.

"I'm going too"

Guy stayed in the studio while Riki headed into the bedroom.

***

\- Guy ... -

\- Hi, haven't you gone out anymore? -

\- No. I changed my mind. -

\- Ok ... have you already eaten? -

\- Not yet. -

\- Me neither. I'm a little hungry. Shall we go to that restaurant downstairs together? I'm going out now and I'm there in 15 minutes. -

\- Drive carefully. -

\- Okay, 20 minutes then. -

\- I'll be waiting for you ready to go out. Sorry I was ... out of place before. -

\- Yes, you were an asshole but it doesn't matter. I'm coming! -

***

-Riki! -

\- Hello! How's your lunch? -

\- Boring ... -

\- I guess. When do you finish? -

\- We are still on the third appetizer. -

\- And I bet Orphe never stopped talking. I can hear his voice in the background even now. -

\- In fact it is so. Why didn't you call me earlier? -

\- I was too angry to do it -

\- I understand. -

\- Hey, run away soon, I'll wait for you at home. -

\- I’ll try to arrive as soon as possible. -

\- Okay... you don't have to be jealous of Guy or anyone else. You know that right? -

\- I know, I got carried away. -

\- It doesn’t matter. I miss you. -

\- ... -

\- You're not going to tell me you miss me too, are you? -

\- I miss you too. See you later. -

***

When Guy and Riki returned to the living room, much calmer and more relaxed than before, they found Cal dusting off and Benson watching television. The latter looked particularly tense and nervously curled his fingers.

"Benson, I'm going back to Raoul" Guy warned him "We'll go out to eat. If you want, I'll invent something to justify your delay."

"Uh ... yes Master Guy, I would be very grateful." exclaimed the young former furniture with relief.

"Okay. Don't worry, I won't make fun of you. If that's true, it's not funny." He added, winking. Benson pretended not to understand and the other greeted him, ruffling his hair.

Riki motioned for Cal to follow him into the kitchen. Once alone, the boy looked embarrassed.

"Master Riki, I believe I owe you an apology for inviting Benson without your or Master Iason's approval." he said, lowering his head.

Riki sighed. "Cal, you don't need to ask for our approval to receive a guest or do whatever you want with whoever you want. What did you not understand about the fact that this is your home and that you are no longer a slave? Only, I recommend that you talk to Iason about it because he won't take long to realize it and he will surely tell Raoul. Try not to put Benson in an awkward situation!”

Cal nodded, biting his lips.

"Why don't you take him to your bedroom?" added the mongrel "He looks uncomfortable in the living room, knowing I'm around.”

"May I, Master Riki?"

"Sure, I just told you. Iason won't be back for another hour. You better take advantage of it."

The eunuch thanked him and went to lock himself with Benson in the privacy of his room.

Riki threw himself on the sofa and closed his eyes. He had evoked many memories, most of them unpleasant: his first meeting with Iason, his training to become a pet, Mimea, Daryl, Dana Burn ...

The humiliation and pain of what he had to endure burned his chest, along with the memory of all the times he had invoked pity and his pleas had gone unheard.

How could he love Iason in spite of everything? He didn't have an answer, yet now all he wanted was to hold his Blondie in his arms and get lost in the depths of his aquamarine eyes.


	9. Remembering Dana Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

On the evening of Mercury eve, Katze, busy double-checking some offers from possible buyers while Daniel was in the shower, received a call on his personal communicator.

\- Good evening Raoul. Tomorrow at dinner you say? At what time? Perfect, we'll be there. Thanks for the invitation. -

He placed the phone back on the table and directed his gaze toward the large living room windows, which offered an incomparable panoramic view of the Midas nightlife.

'Tomorrow ... just tomorrow. Curious day to get together.' He thought, and wondered if Iason and Riki would be there; it hadn't occurred to him to ask. Logically, there should have been. Him, Iason, Riki, and Guy: Dana Burn.

Remembering the events of two years earlier, he thought that he had never told Daniel the whole truth.

'Maybe, we could take advantage of that and go on a little field trip in the morning ...'

Without mulling it over too much, he picked up the phone again and dialed his office number.

\- 'Hi ... you're Katze, aren't you? - The former pet had never used such telecommunication tools before, and was still a bit awkward.

\- Yes Reinold, when you see my name on the screen, it means I'm calling you from my personal communicator. Is everything okay? -

\- Oh ... yes. Nothing has happened since you left. I ... I was trying to make myself a sandwich. -

\- Ok, try not to set my kitchen on fire though. -

\- No ... of course... -

\- Just kidding! These days, you’ll go with Daniel to the food market and he’ll teach you how to use the stove a little. -

\- Oh yes, I would love that. -

\- Have you gotten in touch with the training center yet? -

\- Yes, they accepted me. I'll start classes next Venus. The location is nearby and I can walk there. -

\- Good. I was calling to tell you that tomorrow morning Daniel and I will arrive a little later than usual. If any of my staff, whose files I left on your desk, should arrive in the meantime, have them come in and tell them to wait for me. Don't open for anyone else. If you can manage it, make them a coffee: just put the powder in the small reservoir, the water in the big one, plug the machine into the electricity and push the red button. The cups are in the hanging cabinet in the pantry. -

\- Yes, Daniel showed me how it works. I think I can do it. -

\- Okay, if you have any problems, call me at this number. See you tomorrow. -

\- See you tomorrow, Katze.

***

The next morning, the black market boss got up first, prepared breakfast and went to wake up his young companion, still asleep in the middle of the giant round bed of the room.

Silently he lay down beside him and began to comb his fingers through his brown hair, which was no longer as short as it had been a few months before.

"Mmmnn what time is it? Did I oversleep?" asked Daniel yawning.

"It's early, but I'd like to take you somewhere this morning."

"Really? What about work?"

"If we leave now, we'll get to the office before 10 am."

The young eunuch responded to Katze's kiss by brushing his lips in turn and immediately went to get ready. Half an hour later they were already in the car and Daniel watched in curiosity through the window as they sped first over the streets of New Ceres and then over the amoian desert.

When they reached what was left of the old rebel fortress, they circled around the new spaceport - which was still being used by the interplanetary coalition for import/export of products and human transfer to other star systems - until they came to a pile of rubble and sheet metal hidden in the dunes.

Katze landed, shut down the engines, and the two men climbed out of the vehicle.

"This was once the entrance to Dana Burn, right?" Daniel asked. The atmosphere around them had something sacred about it.

The trader nodded. He took the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, lit one and smoked it slowly, contemplating the ruins in silence. He hadn't been back there since.

"Do you know what happened here, Daniel?" He asked after a while.

"Yes, I know what everyone knows: that there had been unexploded bombs left underground since the time of the rebellion, and that two years ago one of them tragically went off, causing all the others to explode in a chain."

Katze exhaled the last smoke and tossed the butt "I was there that day, I'll tell you what really happened ..."

***

The two Blondies were sitting around the large oval table in the living room of Raoul's house. Katze and Daniel were facing them, but far enough away that they had to raise their voices a little to be able to talk to each other. They had elegant glasses in front of them, in which a fine red wine had been served, thick and with a fruity aroma.

"At last I have the opportunity to meet the one who managed to melt Katze's heart" declared Iason, softening his usual inscrutable expression a bit "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daniel."

"Thank you Lord Mink, it's an honor to meet you as well" replied the young man politely.

Daniel had made huge strides since leaving Eos. It hadn't been easy for him to change the humble and submissive attitude, typical of D-type furnitures, that had been instilled in him during the training phase, but he was already able to sustain the gaze of an important Blondie like Iason without being intimidated.

"I want it on record that this lovely human couple wouldn’t have existed without my assistance!" Raoul intervened "Daniel tell me, How do you find yourself outside of Eos? Is Katze treating you well? Does he give you some of his precious time or is he too focused on his dangerous and all-consuming job?"

The black market boss suddenly began to dislike the direction that conversation was taking.

"Come on Raoul, that's not the right context for this!" he protested.

"Oh, no Master Am. Katze is very considerate of me and I'm very happy in Midas." replied Daniel candidly, who had come to have a deep affection for Raoul and called him Master not out of submission so much as kindness.

"Well, if he should start neglecting you let me know and I’ll personally come and pull his ears."

"Raoul for Jupiter's sake, you embarrass me!" Katze was used to Raoul's barbs, but not in front of Iason.

"Katze I'm talking to Daniel, please don't interfere" proclaimed the biochemist with a falsely offended air.

Daniel had to cover his mouth with his hand to mask a giggle and Iason, equally amused by that bickering, gave his former furniture a sympathetic look and decided to divert the conversation so as not to cause him further embarrassment.

"Tell me Raoul, won't Cal and Benson be joining us for dinner? I noticed that there are two place settings missing from the table."

"You read my mind Iason! I really don't understand why Benson set the table in this unusual way. In addition to the place settings, two chairs are missing! And would you explain to me the meaning of those cushions on the floor? Also ... I'd like to know what those four are doing: they've been locked in that room for more than half an hour!"

"You know how mongrels are Raoul! They're probably taking advantage of our absence to gossip about Tanagura, smoke and drink some of that murky beverage that's so in vogue in Ceres." Explained Iason quietly bringing the goblet to his mouth.

"Anyway, it's inconceivable! It was Guy's idea to organize this dinner and it's extremely rude of him to disappear for such an extended period of time. I'll go call him!"

Raoul rose from the table in a huff and went to knock on the study door. Benson opened just a crack.

"Benson what's going on in there? We're waiting for you to start dinner!"

"Yes excuse me Master Raoul, we’re almost ready." The eunuch replied before closing the door in his face.

The Blondie was so surprised that he delayed a few seconds before reacting, then knocked again more vigorously.

"I won't tolerate this disrespectful attitude for one more minute! Get out of there immediately!" He would have broken down the door if Iason and Katze hadn't intervened to lead him back to the table.

"I'm sure they're on their way out Raoul, don't make your evening bitter!" The Blondie told him in a mitigating tone as he gently took him under his arm, leading him back to his chair.

Raoul, irritated, grabbed his glass of wine and drank its content in one sip. At that moment the door of the study opened.

***

[Half an hour before]

"What the fuck are Katze and Daniel doing here?" whispered Guy to Riki, after they had locked themselves in the studio with the two former furnitures.

"How do I know Guy? It's your house! I guess Raoul invited them. Given the occasion, he must have thought it was appropriate for them to be there."

"That wasn't on the agenda! That changes everything!" the brown-haired man protested annoyed.

"If you don't feel up to it, I'll do it myself. They are ex-furnitures, they won't be shocked by this act. They're used to pets."

Guy was torn. He was no longer comfortable with the idea of playing the pet character in front of his former employer, with whom he had yet to become familiar, but he also didn't want to undo the efforts he had made to arrange the evening.

Before he could make a decision, Riki had already taken off his clothes and was wearing the suit purchased at Apathia's boutique. Guy looked away from him and sighed “Let's get on with it then..”

He looked around and decided to go change behind the desk.

"What are you doing Guy? Are you hiding because you're the only one in this room with a dick?" The former Bison leader teased him.

"Shut your mouth Riki!" admonished Guy even though he had actually hit the nail on the head. It was common practice in Ceres to strip in front of other men and not be ashamed of one's nudity, especially among friends, but it didn't seem right to him to show his full attributes to his ex, whom he himself had mutilated, or to the two anatomically altered boys.

"Cal, give me a hand with these strings!" Riki was in obvious distress. He had chosen a black leather suit with a skimpy culotte and camisole top, which on the back hooked up via a whole series of silver chains. For the feet, equally black sandals with wedge heels, above which the same chains went around the ankle up to mid-calf.

Cal helped him put it all on properly and then proceeded to comb his hair, pulling it all back with a gel and adorning it with clasps similar to the necklaces on the suit. He highlighted the outline of his eyes with a black pencil and made him up on his face and various places on his body with silver glitter.

Finally, he stepped back a bit to admire his handiwork.

"You are very sexy and elegant, Master Riki" he declared.

The last touch was missing. The former Bison boss took the chained leather collar and handed it to Cal to slip on. He was seized by a whirlwind of emotions as he felt the cold leather tighten around his neck, closed his eyes and breathed deeply to contain them. In the hard leather he had the name 'Iason Mink' engraved.

"Are you alright Master Riki?" asked the eunuch.

"Yes Cal ... just like old times ..."

The ex-furniture smiled fondly and complicitly, this was a special moment for both of them.

Guy emerged from his hiding place, slightly uncomfortable in those new pet clothes: he wore a one-piece of gold damask and gauze, which underneath ended as a wide, soft short and above remained open at the chest. The sleeves, one of which was left empty, were short and billowing. To complete the look, there was a soft blue silk belt wrapped around the waist and a long golden necklace with a medallion, on which stood out the initials 'R. A’. On his feet he wore gold leather gladiator-style sandals with heels.

Benson combed Guy's long hair into small braids, each fastened with a blue ribbon of the same fabric as the belt, and adorned his face and body with gold glitter. Finally, he handed him the blue leather collar and Guy bowed his head to help him put it on, as he wasn't sure if he could close it with one hand.

When both pets were ready, they looked at each other in curiosity.

"You look very nice, you would have showed great in Eos" Riki revealed to him, genuinely fascinated by Guy's exotic and refined look.

"Yes well ... knowing Raoul I think he would have liked something like that. You Riki are ... spectacular. So ... you used to dress like this?"

"Not always, but often. During parties and galas, that was pretty much the style to go with."

"I wish you would have dressed like that for me ... I mean ... when we were still together" Guy confessed, brushing his fingers over Riki's face.

He was suddenly seized by the instinct to kiss him: to devour those wild, sexy lips that had once been his and to squeeze his firm, muscular buttocks, but he held back that urge and visualized in his mind the image of his angelic, perfect Blondie.

'Raoul, all I have to think about is Raoul. That's all I need.' he told himself.

Just then, the protagonist of his thoughts knocked on the door impatiently.

"Benson, tell him to wait a few more minutes!" warned Guy.

As the former furniture tried to stall, Riki gave Guy one last review of the rules.

"Remember: you’ll remain seated on the cushion in the floor unless otherwise ordered. You’ll only be allowed to eat and drink what Raoul hands you and you won't be consented to wander around the house unless you are authorized. You may not speak on your own initiative, but only answer direct questions. Whatever Raoul commands you to do, you must do. Okay?"

Guy nodded. They turned to Cal and Benson and with a nod let them know they were ready. The two eunuchs took the other end of the leashes and finally opened the door.


	10. Dangerous games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

When Iason looked up and saw Riki dressed as a pet and led by Cal with a leash, his pupils dilated in surprise and a wide, teasing smile lit up his face.

The mongrel sported his skimpy clothes with honor, and as the eunuch handed his Master the other end of the chain, the two lovers exchanged a look of understanding. Riki knelt on the pillow, specially placed for this purpose, and Iason lifted his face, pushing it from under his chin. He looked at him with a mixture of possession and lust and then, taking part in the game, directed the young man's head against his thigh and began stroking his hair absentmindedly, while he watched his brother struggling with the other disguised man.

Raoul reacted in a decidedly more bewildered way: Guy was radiant in his glittering, delicate clothes but looked rather awkward and clumsy, balancing on those high-heeled sandals as he tried to walk straight without losing his poise.

As soon as the Blondie had taken over the handle of the leash, he sat down as instructed on the cushion and looked at his new Master hoping to find some approval in his emerald eyes, see if he liked the surprise and ask him if he was doing it right.

Raoul initially furrowed his eyebrows with distrust, as if to say 'What are these antics? What are you playing at?'

But then he noticed the medallion shining on the man's chest, the one with his initials, and took it in his hand to get a better look. He suddenly felt fulfilled and proud: Guy was there, he was offering himself to him of his own free will and, for that evening, he would recognize him as his Master.

He smiled contentedly and, as Iason did, guided Guy's head to snuggle comfortably against his leg and began to stroke him.

Katze and Daniel were incredulous, fascinated by the unexpected spectacle they were offered and, at the same time, a little embarrassed and unsure of how to behave. For a few minutes no one spoke.

Then Benson brought the hors d'oeuvres, the guests began to serve themselves and this helped to break the atmosphere of slight tension that had been created. Dinner went on without incident and none of the former furnitures made any more mention of the fact that Riki and Guy were sitting on the floor, dressed up like sex dolls and constantly being pampered by their enraptured Blondie Masters.

***

Iason took his leave from Raoul's house, let Cal take the wheel, and sat in the backseat of the vehicle along with his unexpected new toy.

"So ... after eight years I finally managed to make an obedient pet out of you?" he asked smugly.

"Just for tonight" Riki replied, letting the Blondie lead him to lie down on the seat with his head resting on top of his legs.

"Will you perform for me tonight?"

"I'll do anything you want, Master."

Upon hearing that word so unusual for Riki's voice, Iason suddenly felt aroused. After activating the button that lowered the partition panel used to give passengers privacy, he unzipped his own pants and directed the young man's lips to his erect member. The mongrel meekly took him into his mouth and pledged to serve him throughout the return trip.

Once home, Iason first warned Cal that he didn’t want to be disturbed for any reason and then led Riki directly into the bedroom abruptly pulling him by the collar. Once inside, he literally threw him onto the bed.

"Get undressed" he ordered.

The pet felt slightly resentful: being dragged in such a violent manner hadn’t pleased him, but he remained in character and obeyed.

He shed all his clothing until he was completely naked, except for the leather collar.

"Perform for me, bring yourself to pleasure"

Riki remembered well every detail of his first months of training in Eos and touched with precision and mastery all the sensitive points of his body, which Iason had taught him to turn on command. Not everything was the same as once, of course: now, instead of a penis, he had a new, extremely responsive erogenous zone, and he began to stroke it in the way he knew would bring him enjoyment.

He spread his legs as wide as possible, so as to give his Blondie a good view, and as he neared his nirvana he increased the speed of his movements. Soon a trickle of presperm began to descend from the urethral hole, around which the skin had become swollen and reddened.

Just a moment before the climax though, Iason grabbed his wrist to stop him and Riki groaned in need.

"Not yet, Pet!"

He took a pair of handcuffs from the nightstand drawer and used them to chain his wrists to the headboard.

Riki quivered. He squeezed his thighs and arched his pelvis in search of the slightest bit of contact or friction. Iason, who had removed his shoes and silk gloves but still had his clothes on, parted his captive’s knees and positioned himself between his legs.

He pinched his nipples hard, turning them red and bruised, and sank his nails into his lean hips, leaving deep crimson marks that tore a howl from his pet for the night. He bit deep into the tender neck as if to brand his property.

Riki cried out, both from need and physical pain.

Iason grazed his groin and pressed his thumb to the urethral hole, extorting more moans of need, and began sucking on his testicles while stroking his perineum. He forcefully groped and pinched his firm buttocks, leaving purple marks from his fingers on his tanned skin.

"P ... please ..." Riki was starting to feel really sore and frustrated.

Iason inserted a finger into his rectum, causing the man to moan again, and added a second. When he found his sensitive gland, he began to massage it from the inside.

Again the young man was approaching orgasm, but just before he could consume that need, the sadistic Blondie came to a halt again.

"Noo ... Ahaaaa ... I beg you ..." Riki was in agony.

Iason, whose gaze appeared cruel and full of depravity, brushed his face with his fingers and licked a fragile tear that had slipped from his wild obsidian eyes "Not yet, pet."

Lord Mink's sadistic game lasted for nearly two hours. During which time Riki over and over cried and begged both for release and for that torment to end.

He was exhausted, but his body continued to quiver and writhe in search of satisfaction. Everywhere on his skin the marks of the Blondie's fingers and mouth stood out, and in some places the skin had split, showing thin crimson rivulets.

As his senses numb with suffering, he didn’t notice the moment when Iason had slipped out of his clothes, but he let out a shrill, heartbreaking scream when he felt his massive organ penetrate him.

Lord Mink began to fuck him. At first slowly and then increasing his speed exponentially, until he slammed him hard against the headboard as if that body under him was an inanimate sand doll.

Despite the pain, Riki had the audacity to hope that all this would finally allow him to reach the coveted orgasm but, at the last moment, the Blondie squeezed his testicles with force preventing him from ejaculating.

"Noooo stop!!! Please stop!"

The cries and screams became incessant. Riki was exhausted and agonizing.

What happened next was a rare and unusual event, a peculiarity of Iason's body that Riki had the misfortune to experience firsthand on only one other occasion, many years before. His artificial penis began to get bigger and bigger.

"It's ... growing. Please get out! Please!"

The android was beside himself. Deaf to the pleas and blind to the suffering of the man he loved. He was no longer the thoughtful Iason worshipping a slumming mongrel, he was just Lord Mink: the majestic Blondie, masterpiece among Jupiter's creations, with unlimited powers and to whom everything was granted.

And that creature in pain under him was no longer Riki: he was only his victim. A weak, inferior and unimportant being that had managed to awaken his dark side and that Iason needed to satisfy his most primal instincts.

It was only due to the fact that Riki's muscular ring, which had accommodated Iason's erection for years, was very elastic that his sphincter didn't break, but when the Blondie finally reached pleasure and slid out of his hot bowels, it was bloody and inflamed.

The raven-haired young man fell unconscious.

***

For the Master it was like plunging ruefully into rationality.

His Riki was there: hanging by his wrists, scratched and gripped in thin metal rings, from the headboard. Despite his unconsciousness, an expression of extreme suffering rippled across his face, still wet with tears. His whole body was strewn with bruises, scratches and bites that interspersed with silver glitter. Between his buttocks a bloody bud.

Iason freed his hands, slipped off his leather collar and, after ascertaining that the wounds on his body weren't serious, picked him up and carried him to the bathroom. He sat on the bottom of the tub with his mongrel clutched to his heart, opened the water jet and waited for the warm liquid to cover them.

The man opened his eyes. The Blondie's face was inches from his own. The warmth of the bath offered him comfort and heat and the android's arms supported him firmly.

Riki looked at him in terror and then began to emit desperate sobs. He cried, screamed and hit the surface of the water with his fists. He struggled to free himself from that grip but Iason didn't allow him to pull away and continued to support him from behind, wrapping his back protectively with his arms.

"Let it out Riki. Scream. Hate me." he whispered, not stopping to restrain him.

He waited until he had calmed down a bit and encouraged him to turn toward him. He rinsed the tears away from his pained face and placed a hand over his shoulder.

"Why did you do that?" asked the Blondie softly and seriously.

"Me? You're asking me why?" Reacted the human, his voice still broken between sobs.

"You know me, Riki, you know what I've done and who I've been. You remember all the pain and suffering I've caused you, and yet ... you decided to reenact the past and play this role. Why?"

The man, unable at that moment to offer an answer, wept more silent tears.

"This too is part of us and the events of Dana Burn aren’t so powerful as to erase our history" the Blondie continued "I love you, Riki, but this is who I am and every day I hold back only because I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have. I've won your soul and I don't want to lose it but the instinct to dominate and control your body lives in me and you need to be aware of that because that's the only way we can be true to each other."

Riki trembled and Iason held him close.

"Why did you decide to play this role, Riki? Did you really think you could reenact the origins of a Tanagurian Blondie without suffering the consequences? Did you think you could be the old you without awakening the old me? Perhaps ... a part of you longed to see me as I once was? Perhaps, you needed to feel again the pain and helplessness of being dominated?"

Riki had calmed down and now rested his head on Iason's shoulder. Why had he done that? Why even now did he crave the touch of his tormentor? What did his Blondie have that could manipulate and shape him that way? Why, after a night of torture and frustration, instead of rebelling, was he reduced to a compliant jelly? Was it still pet conditioning or was there more to it?

"I ... I don't know" he whispered.

Iason kissed him softly “I’m sorry Riki, there are parts of me that I still can't master.”

The violence was over for that night, and both of them would do everything they could to keep the blonde beast that lived beneath the android's diaphanous skin from coming out again.

***

The next morning Guy freed himself with difficulty from the grasp of the sleeping Blondie beside him.

He felt pain everywhere: Raoul had twisted him around in every possible way. It had been a long and exhausting night and his body bore the signs of it.

He had tried, on a few occasions, to tell him to take it easy. He had begged him to let go because he was hurting him, but Raoul looked like a hungry and indifferent to pleas demon. That skit had awakened a side of him that Guy didn't know, and he wasn't sure he could handle it.

He stood in front of the room's large mirror and looked at his own reflection: his body was dotted with bruises and scratches.

He massaged his sore neck: how many times had he come that night? He had lost count. After the last one, he must have fainted because he had been invaded by a blinding white light and now his head was throbbing.

He closed his eyes to muffle that sensation and immediately felt a hand rest on his back "Are you okay?"

Guy gasped ... was this the usual Raoul or was it the beast of the just spent night?

"Let me see!" the Elite induced him to turn around and examined the bruises on the man's body but when he placed his hand on his inflamed and sensitive penis to check for wounds, Guy recoiled.

"Get off me Raoul! What the fuck has gotten into you tonight? Were you trying to take me out or what?"

"I guess I shod my hand too much" the Blondie admitted.

"Shod your hand? You were unrecognizable, I'd never seen you like that! I asked you to stop but you didn't listen!"

Raoul sighed "I'm a Blondie Guy, you can't expect to show up to me dressed like the way you did yesterday, in chains and submissive, without eliciting a reaction. I have owned and created dozens of pets, but none that were truly made for my pleasure. You are the first that has truly belonged to me."

"I'm not a fucking pet!" spat Guy with a spark of contempt.

"Last night you were, and it was your own initiative. Did you think you could play with me Guy? Owning and dominating pets is part of our traditions and the fact that I decided to make you my partner rather than property doesn't change centuries of history."

Guy remained silent and thought about Raoul's words: it was true, he knew nothing about Elites, Tanagura, Jupiter and Eos. He didn't know how their brains worked and sometimes he forgot that they belonged to different species.

Had the scene of the night before pushed some button that had provoked uncontrolled reactions in Raoul? Had Riki also suffered the same fate?

Guy was dirty, feeling on his skin remnants of ejaculate mixed with the glitters Benson had applied to him the night before. Also, he had sweated a lot that night.

"I'll go wash up" he sentenced before walking briskly to the bathroom.

He didn't have time to turn on the shower as Raoul was with him too.

"Fuck Raoul I don't want you around! Leave me alone!"

The biochemist, heedless of his protests, began to undo the braids in his hair "How are you going to wash them, without undoing these first?"

Guy gave in and let him do it. As the Blondie worked his hair with care and precision, he slowly relaxed and, once Raoul was done with the braids, let him take the sponge and clean the dirty areas of his body. The Elite's touch was extremely gentle and didn't cause him any pain, even when he ran over the bruises and small wounds.

"Aren't you going to wash?" Guy remembered that after repeatedly marking his skin with his nails and teeth, forcing him to ejaculate more times than it was humanly possible, and fucking him to the point of exhaustion, Raoul had forcefully impaled himself on him using Guy as a dildo. He came at least twice inside him and as a result the Blondie must have been in dire need of cleaning up that area.

"I will, after I take care of you."

***

Later, they got out of the shower and went back to lying on the bed.

"Does it scare you to have known this side of me?" Raoul asked, hugging him.

"A little, but I think I can handle it. Maybe it's for the best, at least I know what to expect when you lose control."

Raoul dipped his face into Guy's long brown hair inhaling his wild aroma "I'm sorry love. It was something beyond my drive. I hope it never happens again."

He adored his mongrel and despite that dark side he had just discovered, he would never really hurt him.


	11. Know and accept each other's faults

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

At noon, Riki still hadn't gotten out of bed, and the young ex-furniture, after repeatedly walking up and away from the door undecided what to do, resolved to knock.

"Come in Cal!" Answered the voice from inside.

The eunuch entered discreetly. The room was dark because no one had opened the shutters yet and Riki was lying in the middle of the bed wearing only white linen pants. He pressed the button next to the window, the one that made the blinds slide, and let in a few rays of sunlight to which Riki reacted with a grunt and plugging his eyes with the pillow.

"Are you all right Master Riki?" asked the boy circumspectly "I heard you scream last night ..."

"Yeah, I'm surprised the whole neighborhood didn't come complaining. " the mongrel replied annoyed.

"What happened? Master Iason?"

"And who else?"

"I thought he no longer did certain things ..."

Riki sat up revealing, in the sunlight, the bite marks, scratches, and beatings on his body. His nipples were reddened and covered in scabs.

"I'll be right back!" Cal left the room and returned a few minutes later with a pill, a glass of water, gauze, disinfectant, band-aids and a few tubes of ointment in his hand. "Take this, it's a painkiller!"

"Thank you" Riki swallowed the medicine without protesting, the headache was killing him. Then he noticed the other medical aids "Do you want to medicate me?"

"Yes master Riki, if you allow me."

Laying down, the young mongrel couldn't help a bitter smile. They seemed to have gone back in time to Eos, a few years prior, when Iason tore him apart every night and Cal put the pieces back together the next morning.

The domestic employee carefully treated each graze, applied soothing creams to the bruises, and covered the small cuts with band-aids. Then, with some embarrassment, he showed a tube of curative and antibiotic rectal ointment "I thought you might need it ..."

"Just like the old days ..." Riki recalled with a sigh. He reached out his hand to take it and go apply it himself in the bathroom, but Cal hesitated.

"Master Riki let me help you do it correctly. I ... heard you screaming really loud last night and I'm ashamed I didn't intervene ..."

"Thanks to Jupiter. If you had done that, he would have let off steam with you too! By the way ... where did he go?"

"He left early, didn't even have breakfast. He didn't report his destination."

"I see" Riki turned his gaze to the tube of ointment still in Cal's hands, and it was clear from his displeased expression that he would gladly have preferred to skip that part. "How should I put myself?" he then asked resignedly.

"Lying on your side" pointed the boy "with your knees bent and close to your chest."

As Riki removed his underpants and briefs, Cal looked away to give him some privacy.

"I'm ready!"

In a thoroughly professional manner, the eunuch slipped his hand into a disposable latex glove, squeezed a good amount of ointment onto his fingers, and applied it to the injured area.

"Master Riki ... am I being too indiscreet if I ask how you got this bad?" he asked, still busy with the medication.

"Do you remember what happened the night of my official presentation party in Eos, two weeks after returning from Ceres, when Iason's cock suddenly grew? There, it was the same thing."

Cal shivered. He could never forget that time when Lord Mink ran to call him in the middle of the night because Riki didn't stop bleeding. After applying gauze to contain the leak, he had to call the tower's pet doctor, who had stitched up the gash. To justify that lesion, he had been forced to report that Riki had been injured from using too large sex toys.

"Master Riki, you can leave if you want to. You’re no longer a slave." he said with some sadness.

"Do we have to talk about this just as you have your fingers dipped in my ass?"

"Oh ... excuse me ..." Cal finished the dressing, and as he put each item back in its place, Riki put his clothes back on.

"To answer your question: I could leave, it's true, but I've decided to share my life with a Blondie and I guess that comes with responsibilities. Last night we both made a mistake ... indeed, perhaps the fault was mostly mine. I should have imagined such an ending."

"Master Riki actually ... you never chose to be with Iason ..." revealed Cal with some awe "… you were forced ..."

Riki shrugged "You're right. So let's say ... I'm choosing him now."

"But ... he hurt you and he might hurt you again!"

"I guess that's the price to pay for being with him. Anyway I doubt it will happen again anytime soon, you know he was ... pretty shaken up this morning. I think he's sorry and regretful he lost control like that. I don't blame him, it's kind of a ... Blondies' brain error. It's like they lose rationality and go into a temporary tailspin. When their 'Blondie Master' button is activated, they can't control their reactions.

I always thought that Iason enjoyed tormenting me because he was a sadistic bastard but maybe if I stopped acting like a victim for a while and observed his actions better, I would have realized that sometimes he wasn't completely himself. It doesn't have to be easy to have a fucking complex brain like theirs.

I think he has made a lot of effort to hold back over the past couple of years and that he needs to show this dark side of his personality every now and then ... tonight he vented 24 months of repression."

Cal closed his eyes and thought that Riki's feelings for Iason must be very strong indeed if he was willing to accept such a compromise.

"I talked to Benson a little while ago" he said then "and he advised that Master Guy was bruised, sore and in a bad mood this morning."

"Mmmh, so Iason wasn't the only sadistic bastard tonight ... that confirms my theory. I suppose I'll have to apologize to Guy later, for giving him such an unhappy idea."

Riki got out of bed without hiding a complaint due to the intense pain in his rear area and opened the closet to look for a shirt to wear. "Hey Cal, what's up with you and Benson?" he asked after a while.

The former furniture blushed "I ... I can't really define it, master Riki. He is very affectionate with me, he makes me feel good ... he understands me and together with him I can be myself."

"Nice! How far have you come with him? Physically, I mean."

Cal looked slightly embarrassed talking about it "Not very far Master Riki, we just kissed and caressed."

"You saw each other naked?"

"No ... not completely. Always with underwear on."

After slipping on a T-shirt, Riki headed into the living room, immediately followed by Cal.

"You had a hickey on your neck the other day" he continued "It gave me the impression that Benson wanted to go further."

"Uh ... maybe you're right Master Riki, but I don't know how we can go further ..."

"There's no rule, it's about exploring each other and figuring out what gives you pleasure. Kind of like you're already doing, but more intimately."

"I think I can’t do that Master Riki, it would be too embarrassing."

"Were you a virgin before the operation?"

"Y ... yeah sure, Benson was too." Cal felt a little uncomfortable talking about certain topics of a sexual nature because, for furnitures, they had always been considered taboo.

Riki walked into the kitchen and climbed onto the shelf to grab the box of cereal. He poured it into a bowl, sliced a banana and topped it with cold milk. He then sat down on the counter to eat and invited the other boy to take a seat next to him.

"You've never even masturbated before? Have you ever cum?"

"No I ... I hadn't hit puberty yet ..."

At that answer, Riki felt a great anger at the whole Tanagurian system, of which Iason had been one of the main architects. Mutilating children before they had their first ejaculation was simply barbaric and cruel.

His thoughts turned to Daryl: Iason had forced that boy to perform fellatio on him practically every day during his first months as a pet. A maimed young man who had never experienced pleasure, bringing another boy to orgasm against both their wills. Who knows what he thought when Riki's member hardened and pulsed inside his mouth, when he swallowed his hot seed or heard his moans of pleasure. Envy? Penance? Resentment? Whatever emotion he felt, he had never externalized it.

Riki felt tremendous guilt for the way he had behaved with Daryl: he had mistreated and insulted him in every way possible during the three years he was living in Eos and had taken all the anger and frustration he felt for Iason out on him. Yet Daryl had never gotten angry, raised his voice or shown the slightest bit of resentment. On the contrary, he had taken care of him in the best possible way, not only by looking after his tortured body, but also by giving him advice that had helped him survive Eos' rules and Iason's torments without losing his mind.

Riki never had the chance to apologize and thank him because, after his return from Ceres, Daryl was no longer there: he had been replaced by Cal. Iason had justified that change by calling it a 'personnel rotation' without going into details.

‘Who knows? Maybe now that all furnitures have been released, I could find him and make things right with him’ he thought and decided he would ask Katze for help in this matter.

However, what was done was done. The only positive thing was that no child would suffer the same fate as Daryl, Benson, Cal, Creek and all the others like them. Now the urgency was to help the two new lovers discover their sexuality.

"Katze and Daniel are organizing a sex education class for former furnitures that's supposed to start next week. Why don't you sign up?"

"Benson had told me about it too, but I don't know ... being around other people talking about sex seems a little awkward. Besides, if Master Katze was there too, I couldn't bear to broach certain topics in his presence!"

Riki had finished his breakfast and was pouring himself a steaming cup of coffee from the carafe. "Did Benson tell you he want to go to those meetings?" he asked.

"Yes Master Riki, he did."

"Then you have no choice Cal. If he wants to go, you have a duty to accompany him. These things are done by two! You'll see that the embarrassment will pass after the first half hour!"

The eunuch seemed to fidget "I really can't do it, I'd die of shame!"

"Don't be ridiculous Cal! We were all virgins once and were ashamed to show our bodies too, but we got over it. If you had been kicked out of Guardian at the age of 13 and sent to Ceres like I was, you would have ended up like all the fresh meat that just got here: bent over a table and raped by older ones until you learned to defend yourself.

Don't get me wrong Cal, I know your life hasn't been easy and you might have preferred that fate over becoming a eunuch, but what I'm trying to say is just that it's hard for everyone at first. You have to make an effort and change the way you look at things a little bit.

Do you like Benson? Do you want to partner with him? Then don't be selfish and sign up for the class because that little man has a right to be with someone who knows how to touch him to bring him pleasure!"

Cal remained silent to ponder Riki's words. Had it really been selfish of him to turn down Benson's offer to sign up for the class? Did he really want to learn more about sexuality? Perhaps, his supposed shame was just an excuse to mask the fact that he was afraid to turn this new page in his life?

Riki interrupted the flow of his thoughts.

"Maybe, the cause of your fears is me and Iason" he speculated "you've only ever had as an example what he did to me before Dana Burn, but that's not the rule! Sex is ... beautiful. It means giving each other pleasure while respecting each other's bodies; it's not synonymous to violence. It's been good between me and Iason since then too ... except tonight ... but episodes like that between you and Benson will never happen."

Cal steeled himself and made his decision. "I'm going to call Benson and tell him I agree to take the class!" he declared.

"Yay, way to go Cal!!! You'll see how happy he'll be! I almost sign up too just because I'm curious how two eunuchs can fuck each other ..." Cal looked at him shocked "Haha come on, I'm kidding! You don't have to take everything I say seriously! I'm a former slum pet remember?" Riki took his leave with a wink and walked out of the kitchen.

***

By the time Iason returned home, it was late in the evening.

Riki and Cal were on the couch, where they were finishing watching a movie, and the former furniture immediately stood up to go get his coat and cloak "Welcome back Master Iason. Would you like me to heat something up for dinner or serve you a glass of wine?"

"That won't be necessary Cal, just finish watching the movie."

Lord Mink, without sparing his mongrel with a single glance, headed first to the bathroom and then to the studio.

Riki waited until the film was over and went to join him. "Are you avoiding me by any chance?"

Iason looked up from the book he was focused on "I thought it best to give you your space. If you want, I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."

"Oh thank you! How considerate of you! Torturing me all night and then disappearing without explanation for the entire next day. You should write a book on couples therapy you know, it would be successful!" retorted the other with sarcasm.

Iason couldn't help but lose his inscrutable expression at that display of irony, and Riki sat on his lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Where have you been?"

"We took a little trip to the coast Raoul and I."

"Oh I see, both of you hiding and confessing your respective faults!" he accused him, pointing a finger at the tip of his nose.

Iason now laughed openly "Hahaha yes Riki, something like that" he brushed his cheekbone with his pale, cured fingers "you would have deserved a better partner than me."

"Tsk, better than Jupiter's favorite son? Than the top Tanagurian fucking Blondie? Impossible!" Riki challenged those deep aquamarine irises staring at them with his expressive, large obsidian eyes.

"I accept every part of you Iason, even the dark ones. Just try not to catch me off guard the next time you can't contain your inner sadistic beast. Let me understand that somehow."

Riki rested his forehead on that of his ivory-haired android and they both closed their eyes in a moment of ecstatic, shared inner peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be dedicated to Aylin and Creek :-).  
> I wish you a peaceful end and beginning of the year!! See you in 2021!!


	12. Ex furnitures looking for themselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris.  
> There will be a little surprise at the end of this chapter!

"What are you guys going to drink?"

"Stout!" replied Luke, Norris and Maxi almost in unison.

"You, Aylin?"

"Stout for me too!"

Sid smiled at the girl dressed in mongrel male clothing. Despite the reforms, it still wasn't very advisable for a woman to be seen roaming the streets of Ceres, especially if the meeting place was a seedy bar like Depravities.

"You Creek, what do you take?"

"What's less bitter than Stout?" asked the former furniture.

"Mmm how about a Weiss? It's a little milder."

"Okay, that one!"

Sid handed their orders to the bartender and, a few minutes later, a waiter arrived at their table with the pints. He was a young man of twenty-three at most, tall, with midnight blue eyes and medium length smoky gray hair. He wore his bangs long to below his ears, held up by a band to keep them from covering his eyes. An obvious scar ran across his right eyebrow from his forehead almost to his eye.

"Whose Weiss is it?" he asked.

"Mine, thank you!" replied Creek, extending his hand to receive it. He certainly hadn't been the best of Eos's furniture, but the training he'd received didn't allow him to be passively served without even making the gesture to help.

"It's been a while since someone asked for one, we opened the barrel especially for you, you know?" joked the waiter.

"Uh ... sorry" apologized the young eunuch a little embarrassed.

"No problem man, it just means you'll have to show up a lot over the next few days to help us empty it!" Mike winked at him and Creek responded by smiling shyly.

"Hey Sid I didn't know you had such a nice and polite friend" the waiter continued, turning to the light grey haired acquaintance "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No Mike, Creek is a friend. He was with us in the army."

"Wow you're a war hero too then! I would have loved to enlist, but I couldn't afford to lose my job."

Mike was friendly and smiling. The features of his face were attractive and delicate, despite his skin hardened by Ceres dust and the prominent scar, made even more evident by the fact that no hair grew where it crossed his eyebrows.

"I have other tables to serve" he then said, somewhat reluctantly "I'll see you later!"

Before leaving, he turned another winking glance at the diners and Creek had the impression it was directed right at him.

The eunuch brought the cold drink to his mouth and found it pleasant and refreshing, not as bitter and cloudy as the Stout. About an hour later Mike returned to the table, but now he was no longer wearing his waiter uniform, having replaced it with his street clothes.

"My shift is over!" he declared smiling "These are for all of you!" He placed a huge bowl of chips on the table "And this is for you!" he added, setting a plate with a crispy roll in front of Creek.

"For me? Thanks, you didn't have to. What is it?"

"A spring roll, I made it myself. That's the only reason I haven't been replaced here at Depravities yet: I'm the only one who can make them well."

"Looks good!" Creek bit into the roll making it crack between his teeth "I like it, you are very skilled in the kitchen!"

"Thanks, I thought it went well with your Weiss. Your name is Creek isn't it? Sid called you that earlier."

"Yes that's correct. And you are Mike, right?"

"Exact. May I sit down?" The young man pointed to the empty seat next to Creek that actually belonged to Luke, who had wandered off almost fifteen minutes earlier after eyeing a cute boy and hadn't returned.

"Sure!"

Mike unceremoniously took a seat and nodded to one of the fellow waiters still on duty "Joseph would you bring me two Weiss from the keg we opened earlier? Put them on my bill!"

As soon as his order arrived, he kept one for himself and handed the other to Creek.

"Oh ... I can't accept!" protested the blue-haired young man "You already offered me the spring roll, let me pay for this one!"

"Hey Mike, you cheapskate, you could have offered the second round to everyone!" Maxi teased him.

"You guys are too crude to deserve to tap into my paycheck, settle for the chips." Mike took a long sip of the cold beer before slamming it noisily down on the table.

Creek, for his part, took the pint and began to drink too. He felt indebted but didn’t want to insult by refusing a gift. "Thanks ... next time let me pay to reciprocate."

"Sure, I hope there will be other opportunities!" agreed Mike smiling. "Are you a mongrel?" he asked then "This may seem like a strange question but you know ... it has become quite common to see Midasians and former pets around here too. Times have changed."

"Ah ... yeah sure. I ... I grew up in Guardian and live in New Ceres." Explained Creek remaining vague, it was best not to go into details.

"Uuuh gee, uptown! I instead live in a studio apartment nearby. It's a rat hole really, but at least I have to walk a short distance to work. What do you do for living?"

"Ah ... nothing at the moment. As a result of the rebellion, a lot has changed and we're reorganizing."

"We?" Mike's tone seemed suddenly disappointed "Do you have a mating partner?"

"Oh no!" Creek hastened to clarify "I live with my brother Neel" he pointed to Aylin, who was watching the conversation suspiciously from across the table.

"Brother? And how are you two brothers? No one has any relatives here in Ceres, since we don't know our real parents."

"We're not blood brothers" Aylin interjected, a little too eagerly for the relaxed environment they were in and visibly annoyed "but it's like we are."

"Okay calm down, there's no reason to get nervous, it's not like I'm going to eat him!" Mike put his hands forward in a sign of peace "And by the way, let me tell you, you look nothing alike."

Aylin stood up slamming her chair down and headed for the pool hall, immediately followed by Sid.

"What's wrong with him? Is he jealous by any chance?" asked Mike after Neel had walked away.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him. He ... he's a little protective of me."

"I see ... but are you sure you two aren't a couple? He seems to see it differently. Maybe he has feelings for you and hasn't told you?"

"Of course I'm sure. Neel's with Sid."

At that revelation, Mike felt definitely relieved.

"Okay ... listen do you want to get together sometime? I could leave you my mobile phone number. Unless you feel like coming with me right now, I mean ... drop by my place!"

Creek was confused ... why on Amoi would they go to his house if the bar offered much more interesting stimulation? Maybe he wanted them to talk without all that background noise? Then, suddenly, he understood the meaning of that invitation.

"I'll take your number!" he said offhandedly and visibly startled.

Mike noticed his change of mood and was displeased.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to rush you. I'm not a one-night stand kind of guy and I'm really interested in you, but if you don't like me just tell me straight and we'll finish it here ... I don't want to get my hopes up, you know?"

Creek felt cornered because he actually found that guy really interesting: he seemed nice and affable, generous and skilled at the stove, willing and good-looking. And, for some strange reason, he had taken an interest in him.

"No, you ... I like you." he revealed, blushing.

Mike smiled radiantly and, using the pen he carried in his shirt pocket, the one he habitually used for work, jotted down his number on a napkin.

"Don't take too long to call me!" he said, handing it to the other man without extinguishing that smile from his face.

Creek took the napkin and carefully folded and slipped it into his pants pocket. At that moment Luke returned to the table: he was in a bad mood because his attempt at conquest had failed. Mike emptied his glass all in one sip to give him his seat back.

"I'm going home, have fun!" he said before leaving "Bye Creek! It was a pleasure. See you soon!" he added, with a twinkle in his eye.

As soon as he had left the club, Luke encircled the eunuch's shoulders with his arm and uncovered his eyes by raising his goggles to his forehead.

"Damn Creek, you've made an impression! I've been trying to get Mike's attention for months with no success!"

"Luke you don't count! You flirt with just about anyone under 35 with a nice ass!" Norris teased him, tossing him a fry.

"You talk easy! You've been going steady with Maxi for practically forever now! We both know you were drooling over Riki like I was before he got out of reach. Although, I actually have to say I wouldn't mind being with a Blondie like Riki and Guy's! Mmmm they look so hot!"

"Knock it off Luke!" admonished Sid, who had just returned from the pool table, slapping him on the back of the head "You're out of line! Show some respect for Creek and Aylin!"

"Ouch how touchy you are! I certainly wasn't referring to Commander Noa, by the way. Let me go with you to Jupiter Tower for the next syndicate meeting so I can feast my eyes on all those Elite beauties!"

"Forget it Luke! Meetings are serious business, not an excuse to make conquests. And anyway, they wouldn't even let you in without a valid justification!"

"Yeah I get it I get it! Hey shall we have a bowling race? Two teams: Creek with one pair of lovebirds and me with the other! Losers pays a round to winners!"

***

The next morning, Creek was sitting at the breakfast table as he dreamily flipped the napkin with Mike's number between his fingers.

"Are you really going to call him?" asked Aylin, after watching him for a while.

"It would be rude not to, he's been so nice!"

"It wasn't kindness Creek, he just wanted to fuck you!"

"That's not true!” he said defensively "You're just saying that because you don't like him!"

"I didn't say I didn't like him” Aylin explained “Sid knows him and confirmed that he's cool. I just ... don't want you to have another experience like that with those guys in Guardian."

"Mike is different from them!"

"No Creek, he's a mongrel just like them, and you barely know him! If you're lucky, he'll use you and discard you when he gets tired. When that happens, don't come looking for me to cry!"

Aylin had raised her voice aggressively, and Creek, deeply hurt by those words, stood up and faced her with his eyes glistening and on the verge of tears.

"You are cruel! You're assuming that no one can love me because I'm a furniture! I'm entitled to my chances too! Besides ... how do you know it's not me who wants to use him? Would it be so wrong to want to have my own experiences? I'm not a kid anymore and I understand how the world works!"

The former pet reached out to touch his arm and comfort him, but the other brusquely pushed her away.

"I love you Creek, so does Sid and the boys. Riki loves you too!" she murmured apologetically.

"I'm talking about a different kind of affection. Master Gideon told me to be proud of who I am. It was his last will and I have no intention of hiding or being ashamed of it! He would support me!"

After giving the chair a shove causing it to fall to the floor, Creek grabbed his phone and headed out into the yard. Until a few minutes before, he hadn't decided whether or not to call, but now he had no doubts. He dialed the number without hesitation.

\- Hello, this is Mike. Who are you? -

\- Hi, this is Creek. We met last night. -

\- What a nice surprise Creek! I was really hoping to get a call from you! -

\- Yeah, well I'm sorry about yesterday. You caught me a little off guard. -

\- No, I'm the one who needs to apologize. I was a bit hasty. Listen... tomorrow is my day off, do you want to go out? -

\- Yes, I'd love to. Where would you like to go? -

\- There’s a Karinian restaurant between the fifth and eighth. I've been there a couple of times, the food is good and the staff is nice. Do you like the idea? -

\- Fine, as long as you allow me to offer.

\- Done. See you at 8pm in front of the club! -

\- Great. See you tomorrow. -

Creek closed the communication and breathed deeply to calm his nerves. His heart was pounding. He had made it! He had an appointment with Mike! For a moment he had feared - or perhaps hoped - that the other would tell him he had reconsidered. When he returned inside, Aylin was still sitting at the table.

"Creek wait!" she intercepted him before he could lock himself in the room.

"What do you want?" the other asked brusquely and unfriendly.

"To apologize to you. You're right! You're entitled to your own experiences, and if you fall, you'll get back up like any of us. Master Gideon was right: you are strong and you don't have to hide from who you are. If this Mike doesn't accept you, it will be worse for him. It will mean he wasn't the one. You have the right to love and be loved and you can always come crying to me if you feel the need."

Creek's anger dissipated completely "Are you serious?"

"Of course. I'm sorry I said those things, it's just that ... when I think back to what they did to you in Guardian, I feel myself boiling over!!!"

"In Guardian I was alone against a pack and wasn't ready yet, but now I've changed. Mike is just one man ... the worst thing that can happen is that he’ll get pissed off and reject me. Maybe he'll insult me and try to beat me, and if he does, I'll pay him back with interest. Now I know what to expect and I can defend myself!"

"If he tries to put his hands on you I swear I'll make him pay!" threatened the girl! "So ... did you call him?"

"Yes, we agreed to have a dinner tomorrow night."

"And, what are you going to do? Tell him the truth?"

"I don't know yet. What would you do Aylin? If you had a date with someone who thought you are a man, when would you tell him you are a woman?"

"Mmmm ... good question!" Aylin crossed her arms in front of her chest and curled her lips in thought. Since Sid had always known her true identity, she had never asked herself that question.

"Not right away, I'd wait until I've at least gained some confidence first" she deliberated "But you definitely need to tell him before you get your pants off!"

"Of course. Listen ... do you think it's possible for me to do it ... with a complete man?"

"Why not? Would you want a complete man or a eunuch?"

Now it was Creek's turn to reflect. "I'm turned on by the idea of a man with a penis. I think I would prefer ... a complete man."

"You answered your own question then. Come on let's get out! Let's go buy some new clothes in Midas so you can wear them for your first date!"

Perfectly reconciled, the Lagat brothers went to get ready to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sweet artist gave me a Christmas present: a drawing of Aylin as she looked when she was still a pet living in Eos. The author's name is Kamy and her page <https://www.deviantart.com/msp17/gallery/all>  
>   
> And what is Creek like? Unfortunately no one has yet tried to draw him but, after having picked up a volume of Berserk a few months ago, I discovered that "Puck" looks a lot like him. Same hair color, same build, same innocent face, same pointed ears, same absence of masculine attributes :-p.  
> Then, of course, Creek has no wings, his hair is a bit longer, his ears a bit smaller and his eyes a bit more tapered and pearl gray, besides the fact that he doesn't measure 10cm :-D , but otherwise it's him.
> 
> I take this opportunity to say that, if any of you have a passion for drawing and want to give an image to some of the original characters of this fic, I will be eternally grateful 😊


	13. The difficulty of being different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

When Aylin saw Creek's jacket hanging on the coat rack that morning and his aero-bike parked in the yard, she breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing else, he was home, which meant his date the night before hadn't had any nefarious consequences.

She opened his bedroom door slightly to peek in and saw him on the bed serenely asleep. He must have been back late because Creek, of them, was almost always the one who woke up first.

'Good' she thought 'for once I'll be the one making breakfast!'

***

The young eunuch came out of the room almost an hour later, with his hair tousled and looking emaciated, and Aylin handed him a steaming cup of coffee.

"You look tired!"

"Yeah. We were a little late yesterday and I overdid it with some weird liquor they served us at that diner. They had left the bottle available on the table and it didn't even seem like alcohol."

"Are you trying to say you got drunk?" the girl asked, barely keeping herself from laughing. Creek was always extremely moderate and just imagining him inebriated was quite comical.

"Worse, that stuff was hallucinogenic! I was seeing little shiny stars!"

"Shit Creek, how much did you drink?"

"I don't know ... a half bottle maybe. I had no idea it would have those effects. It was like cherry syrup!"

Aylin’s attempts to hold back laughter failed because the girl knew Creek was crazy about sweets, especially fresh, fruity ones.

"What about Mike? Was he reduced like you?" She then asked, wiping tears of hilarity from her eyes.

"No, he was perfectly sober. He had barely a glass and was having the time of his life watching me try to catch invisible stars and bugs."

"And how did you get home? You didn't drive here hallucinating!"

"No, Mike took me on my bike and then walked back."

"By foot? But didn't you say he lives near Depravities? That must be almost five miles!"

"That’s it, but he said he likes to walk and that since his bike was stolen a year ago he's got used to that."

"Well, that was nice" the girl had to admit "And ... so what? Besides bingeing on hallucinogenic syrup what else happened? Did you guys talk or do anything?"

"We talked about ... cooking. It's his passion and he's studying to become a chef. Then he asked me some questions about Guardian: he wanted to know how we spent our time in there during the siege. It was nice to chat with him you know? He's smart and a good listener. After he brought me home ... he kissed me ... right here in front of the door! He said I had soft, smooth skin and he liked my eyes." Creek touched his lips and looked dreamily at his coffee cup. "It was nice, he smelled good."

"Oh Creek, be careful! Try not to fall in love too fast. You haven't told him yet, have you?"

The young ex-furniture shook his head negatively "Not yet. I haven't found the right time."

"Mmmh" Aylin suddenly felt more apprehensive. She could have consoled a rejected or sexually abused Creek, but what about a heartbroken one? They were both still too shaken by their Master's death to deal with another major crisis. Her brother seemed so happy, however, that she had no heart to air her concerns. "When will you see each other again?" she asked only.

"Tonight! I'll pick him up at Depravities at 10pm, after he finishes his shift."

"I'll keep my phone on. If you have another misadventure like yesterday call me so I can pick you up and your friend will avoid walking another five miles."

"Okay, although I think I've had enough booze for a while."

Creek smiled, again with that dreamy, absent look on his face. Aylin hoped that that dumbfounded expression was due to the remnants of Karinian liquor still in his body, but she held out little hope.

***

That evening they sat around one of the tables at Depravities and Mike ordered his colleague a Stout for him and a soda for Creek.

"Thanks, my stomach is still a little upset and I couldn't have made it with a beer. I'm sorry about last night, I shouldn't have let you walk home" said the former furniture.

"It wasn't a problem. I like to keep myself moving and with the work I do I'm used to putting in a lot of miles every day! Plus this way I got a chance to see where you live. It's a great place!"

"Yes it is. It was Commander Noa's house, Neel and I worked for him and he appointed us as his successors. He left us that mansion and other assets."

Mike, seriously surprised, opened his eyes wide.

"Wow this is amazing!!! That's how you can afford a place like that! Can you tell me a little bit about him? You know, there are a lot of stories about the Commander Noa and the most mysterious are about his death: some say he fell in battle and others believe he was killed by Jupiter himself. Some even say that he gave himself up to his enemies of his own free will in exchange for the lives of two of his subordinates."

Creek suddenly paled and his lips turned so gray that Mike feared he would pass out at any moment.

"Hey are you okay? Come on, let's get out for some air!"

He helped him up and onto the street, where he hoped the smelly, smoky Ceres wind would help him recover a bit. Creek was hyperventilating.

"Was it something I said?" asked the mongrel "Fuck, I was a jerk. You told me you worked for the commander and me telling you about the legends surrounding his death!"

"No ... it's not your fault ..." the eunuch couldn't finish his sentence because the world around him began to whirl, the images fogged up and everything went black.

***

When Creek opened his eyes he was no longer on the threshold of Depravities, but lying on the bed of an unknown room. Mike wasn’t far from him, and as soon as he realized the other man had regained consciousness, walked up to him.

"Dude have you come to your senses? You gave me a scare, you were out for almost an hour! Wait don't move!"

He put another pair of pillows under his head to help him sit up and wet his forehead with a damp cloth. Then he handed him a glass of sugary water. "I think you've had a drop in your blood pressure. Maybe it's because of last night’s liquor. This will help a little, drink it!"

Creek obeyed and emptied the glass. He immediately felt better. "Are we in your house?" he asked then, looking around.

"Yeah, it sucks doesn't it? After seeing your mansion I feel a little embarrassed to show it, but I didn't know where else to take you."

It was a classic Ceres studio apartment, with peeling, yellowing walls and mold in the corners. What caught Creek's attention most, however, were the details scattered here and there: knick-knacks and small decorative items, drawings tacked to the wall, books, antique artifacts like pens and vinyl records, a colorful rug on the floor and a geometrically patterned sheet over the sofa. There was an extremely clean and neat little corner kitchen with every kind of pan and utensil on display.

"It's beautiful! It's like being inside your mind!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks, I'm not sure if that's a compliment though hahaha" Mike flashed a spontaneous, sunny smile "Are you sure you're feeling okay? Do you want to rest some more?"

"I'm fine! Sorry ... I'm just causing you trouble! Yesterday you had to take me home and today I passed out on the street! I really don't know what's wrong with me!"

Mike stroked his face "I told you that I really care about you right? You hit me right away, I guess it's what they call 'lightning strike'. I like having you around even if you're unconscious or hallucinating."

Creek's stomach was full of butterflies. "I really like you too!" he revealed.

Mike kissed him and the eunuch parted his lips to let the other taste him with a bit of tongue. Before long the mongrel had slipped his hands under Creek’s shirt and was caressing his chest and back.

"You're incredibly smooth Creek, you don't have a single hair on you, it's amazing!" he slipped his shirt off and began kissing his neck and shoulders.

Creek squirmed under that touch. His body quivered and his skin became incredibly sensitive. He felt Mike's hard member press against his leg.

"W ... wait, I don't ..." he said in a hushed voice, trying to stop him before it was too late.

"Ssssh I know what you want to tell me." The other shushed him, occupying his lips with another kiss. "You're a virgin aren't you? I got that! You don't have to be afraid, I'll be very gentle."

"N ... no ... n ... not ... Aaah"

Creek tried to tell him to stop, but as soon as Mike sucked on his neck while gently pinching a nipple with his fingers, his voice was lost who knows where. Before he had time to recover, Mike had removed his own clothes and Creek saw his penis swollen and so erect that it stuck to his stomach. He was astonished.

The mongrel placed his hand on Creek's crotch and seemed disappointed not to feel it still remotely hard under pants. "Aren't you turned on Creek? You told me you liked me but your body doesn't seem to make a rejoinder."

"I ... I ... can't ... w ... wait ..." the former furniture's stomach couldn't find a steady enough foothold to speak and his body wasn't responding to his brain. He couldn't react by either going away or pushing him back.

Mike kissed him on his lower belly. "Take it easy, you're just a little nervous. It's your first time and it can happen. I'll help you relax!" He opened the fly of Creek's pants and began to gently slip them off along with his briefs.

"No Mike wait!" When the eunuch finally managed to retreat, it was too late. Mike looked at him shocked.

"What kind of joke is this? What the fuck are you? An android? An alien?"

Creek quickly pulled his pants back up to his waist and slid to curl up on top of the bed with his eyes swollen with tears. Mike was naked and beside himself. His face, generally kind and smiling, distorted with anger.

"I ... I'm sorry. I tried to tell you ..."

"You fucking bastard, you lied to me! You told me you were a mongrel raised in Guardian! You played me!"

Creek stood up trembling. With tears streaking his face he picked up his shirt and shoes from the floor and quickly dressed. "I didn't lie to you, it's who I am!" he shouted.

"But how ..." Suddenly Mike had an epiphany "A furniture! Are you a furniture?"

Creek said nothing but from the look on his face Mike sensed that he had hit the nail on the head.

"Goodbye Mike" The blue-haired young man opened the front door and started down the stairs without looking back. Stepping out onto the street, he recognized the alleys around Depravities and walked to where he had parked his aero-bike. He inserted the key and set off at full speed.

***

By the time he got home, he'd exhausted both his tears and his voice: they'd all been shed along the way, along with the screams he'd used to vent his frustration.

Aylin was still awake. She saw him come in and lock himself in his room, slamming the door without even saying hello. She was tempted to knock but finally decided it would be better to leave him alone.

Before going to sleep, she wrote on a piece of paper: 'If you need to talk about it, look for me. Even late at night. I love you.' and slipped it under the door.


	14. Creek's virginity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

The next morning Aylin found the door of Creek's room still locked, a freshly baked plum-cake in the middle of the table, and hot coffee in the carafe. Her brother must have gotten up early to make them.

The note she slipped under his door the night before was stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet but no reply had been written on it. The former pet was saddened. She would have really wanted Creek to confide in her but maybe that little argument of two days ago was still taking some of the edge off.

Gathering some courage, the girl knocked on the door but, getting no answer, she was left with no option but to sit down and have breakfast.

When she was about to bite into her second piece of cake, her action was interrupted by the sharp sound of the doorbell outside. Barefoot and still in her pajamas, she went out into the yard to see who it was. Mike was standing behind the gate.

"What do you want?" she asked dryly and loudly.

"Just to talk to Creek" the man replied.

Aylin crossed the lawn to the heavy metal railing. "I'm not sure he wants to see you!"

"Please?"

Aylin sighed and pushed the button that opened the armored lock. "Follow me!"

She led him inside the house and pointed to Creek's bedroom door.

"He came back last night distraught and I haven't seen him since. He's locked himself up inside. I swear if I find out you hurt him I'll make you pay!"

"I didn't lay a finger on him ... Neel?" It was obvious at that point that 'Neel' was not 'his' real name: without the headbands that flattened her breasts and the cap that hid her face somewhat, Aylin’s feminine features were unmistakable.

"My name is Aylin" she declared annoyed.

"Okay ... do you have any more secrets or was this the last one? Maybe ... a dead person hiding in the closet or some strange six-legged animal in the attic?" Mike's was obviously a joke but the other didn't seem to be in a witty mood.

"Look, I don't know if he'll let you in but just in case he does, know that I'll be out here and at the first sign that something is wrong I'll come in and smash your face. Do we understand each other?"

Mike nodded, slightly surprised by that threat. It was the first time he had ever dealt with a young woman and, for some reason, he had always imagined them to be sweet and kind. He hadn't expected such determination. Without further hesitation he knocked on the door.

***

"Leave me alone Aylin!"

Creek was lying on the bed with his head under his pillow. He thought he had made it clear that he didn't want to talk or be comforted but evidently his sister wasn't about to give up. Hearing yet another sound of knuckles on wood, he stood up like a fury and nervously opened the door.

"Well, I said that ..." he remained frozen in front of Mike's figure "What the fuck are you doing here?" he exclaimed after a few seconds of astonished silence.

"Talking to you."

"Why? You already told me everything yesterday when you yelled that I was an asshole bastard. Did you come to keep insulting me?"

"May I ... come in?" the mongrel asked, indicating the inside of the room with a nod of his head.

The former furniture nodded in annoyance. He let him pass and closed the door behind them. They both sat down on the bed. "Go ahead and talk!"

"You ran off yesterday without giving me a chance to assimilate that new information. I couldn't even run after you because I didn't have any clothes on."

Creek winced for a moment but then anger returned to take over from remorse. "What did you expect? You attacked me and accused me of being a liar!"

Unlike Creek, who was nervous and defensive, Mike appeared perfectly calm.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a eunuch?" he asked in an accommodating manner.

"Because I didn't know I had to introduce myself to someone by saying - Hey there, I'm Creek and I don't have a genital apparatus because I had everything cut out of me when I was 12!" replied the blue-haired man abruptly.

Mike was tempted to smile at that statement but with some effort he managed to keep a straight face.

"No. But when you started to understand my intentions you should have ..."

"I would have said it before I went to your house, if you hadn't brought me there unconscious!" Reiterated Creek, still in an attack stance.

"I see" the mongrel conceded "I shouldn't have reacted in such an aggressive manner. I apologize but in my defense I can say that you really caught me off guard ..."

"Well, so sorry if I'm not what you expected!" Creek had calmed down a bit but, not wanting to give it away, continued to show his belligerence.

Mike stood for a few minutes in silence and then shook a tuft of gray hair from his forehead, showing off his scar. "See this one? It's the only reason I'm not like you."

"I don't understand ..."

"Before my 13th birthday, some bigwigs from Guardian came and told me I had been selected to work in Eos. They congratulated me because it was a great privilege and I couldn't believe my good fortune. I just had to pass a medical check-up and it would have been done but, two days before that fateful day, a child from another ward attacked and injured me with a broken bottle.

The doctor who stitched me up said I had been lucky because, if the cut had been only a half-inch lower, I would have lost my eye. My opportunity to move to Eos, however, had faded. They didn't want a scarred mongrel. A few weeks later I was shipped off to Ceres.

I hated this scar because I held it responsible for my misery but then, some years later, many secrets were revealed including what those medical checks would really entail and what I would lose by becoming a furniture. Now every day I thank my disfigurement for allowing me to remain myself and I display it with pride."

Mike paused briefly before resuming speaking. "You ... still interest me Creek. If you trust me despite the way I reacted we can ... try it again."

He rested his hand on his shoulder and the former furniture allowed himself to be touched without retreating.

"Mike ..." he murmured.

"What?"

"I don't want you to think of me as fragile or weak. I'm just like anyone else here in Ceres. You don't have to have any special treatment of me."

Mike reached out to Creek, stroking his arm.

"That I can't do. I need to have special treatment towards you! Not because of your physical impairment, but because you're the nicest, sweetest, kindest guy I've ever met and I'm crazy about you!"

"That's exactly the point Mike!" Creek stood up because he felt what he was about to say was very important "It's not a physical impairment, it's my body! It doesn't matter if I was born different and if they modified a part of me against my will. I’ve learned to accept myself and I don't feel less than a complete man. I am a eunuch just as you are a man and Aylin is a woman. You don't have to think of me as a man who has lost something, I’m just the way I am and I’m proud of it. It means that I served a Master with devotion until the last day of his life and I don't regret a single moment of the years I was his attendant! It was worth it to become a eunuch if it meant I could be of service to him!"

At Gideon's mention, Creek's eyes moistened.

"So ... your Master was Commander Noa? Was he an Elite?"

"Yes. His name was Gideon Lagat and he was a Blondie. He gave up his life to save mine and Aylin's. I’m Creek Lagat: in addition to his possessions, he left us his name."

Creek pronounced his own last name with confidence and dignity.

"Creek Lagat, please allow me to love you." declared Mike solemnly and, before the other man could react, he stood up and violently invaded his mouth before slamming him backwards onto the mattress. As he impatiently slipped his own clothes off, he pulled on the elastic bands of Creek's pajamas to reach the skin beneath.

The former furniture let Mike undress him and again he was frozen at the sight of his member, as hard and erect as the night before. He sat down to get a better look at it and, after asking permission with his gaze, he shyly stroked that organ and held it in his hands, marveling at how soft and smooth the skin of the penis was compared to the wrinkled and flabby skin of the testicles. The tip was exposed and reddened, and Creek wondered if he could touch it.

Mike lifted his face, stroking it under his chin "Is this the first time you touch one?"

The eunuch nodded "Yes ... Master Gideon always had female pets. In theory ... I should know what to do because causing pleasure to a man was part of the training to become a furniture but ... I'm afraid I didn't pay much attention to those lessons."

"Ask what you want to know about my body Creek and I'll ask questions about yours."

The turquoise-haired young man returned his focus to Mike's pelvic area. "Can I touch this spot or does it hurt?" He asked, pointing to the exposed glans.

"You can touch me anywhere you want but if the skin is dry it's best to use a lubricating gel or oil. Saliva is fine too."

Creek moistened his hand with spit and massaged his organ from base to tip, as he had seen pets do when masturbating in public. "Is this good?"

"Yes, it's very pleasant" lied Mike. In reality Creek's movements were too violent, mechanical and not sufficiently lubricated but he didn't want to discourage him. After a while, he gently took his hand.

"That’s fine. Let me take care of you now" he told him, before inviting Creek to lie down, climb on top of him and begin kissing and caressing his sides and stomach.

The eunuch huddered and moaned with every little bite, lick or caress. His skin, which had never been touched like that, was incredibly sensitive and responsive. When Mike teased the space between his toes with the tip of his tongue, he gasped and let out a sharp little cry.

The mongrel smiled, mentally taking note of Creek's good spots so he could map out all the most powerful erogenous zones on his body. He sank his nails lightly into his lean, pale hips and the other arched up, levering the soles of his feet and shoulders.

He positioned himself between his legs and looked for the first time at the most unknown and mysterious area of his lover's body. "Describe to me what you're feeling" he whispered, before brushing against that smooth, porcelain groin.

Creek tried to relax. It felt good to be touched there even if it didn't give him the same powerful reactions he had with other areas of his body. "It's nice" he said "I feel a little ticklish."

Mike began to make little circles with his tongue around the urethral orifice.

“U ... huu ... aaahhaa ... it's weird" said the other, retreating a little because he was frightened by that unfamiliar sensation.

'Good. It's a responsive point.' thought Mike.

He descended to his perineum and Creek began to pant. Mike lifted his legs and pushed them back over his chest raising his pelvis. He parted his buttocks for easy access to his rectum. The young Lagat had a very supple body.

"Aaah no wait ... don't do it there ..." objected the eunuch, embarrassed that Mike was laying his mouth on an area normally used for defecation.

Heedless of the protests, the mongrel began to tease the warm entrance first with his tongue and then with his fingertips, softening and relaxing it. It was unlikely Creek had any lube available in the room but asking was never wrong.

"Do you have a sexual type gel?"

"A gel? N ... no. I don't think so" the former furniture replied panting.

Mike decided that, for that day, he would go no further. He wanted to give Creek a pleasant memory of their first time together and avoid him any possible discomfort. He continued for a while, working the area with his mouth, sucking and penetrating him with the tip of his tongue while he massaged his prostate from the outside with his hand. Creek had stopped vocalizing and was now breathing heavily, his eyes closed, his eyelashes glistening and his face flushed.

Finally, Mike rested his pelvis on the mattress and climbed up his body over him. Once he reached his mouth, he kissed him again, collecting with his fingers a tear that had gathered at the base of his eye.

Creek looked at him in bewilderment "Won't you go inside me? I thought ..."

"You'd like me to penetrate you?"

"That's how it works isn't it?"

"Not necessarily. Sex is many things, not just penetration. I promise next time I will but I want to prepare you properly so as not to cause you pain and that wouldn't be possible today."

Creek was disappointed. "Mike?"

"Tell me."

"I'm not afraid of pain. I'd like you to go through with it."

"Are you sure? Is that the kind of memory you want of your first time?"

Creek nodded. "Yes. Everyone feels pain the first time, and I said I didn't want any special treatment."

"I could use oil, cooking oil is fine too." suggested the mongrel.

"No, you should get dressed and go out to get it ... please do it now! I'm ready!"

Mike lifted Creek's pelvis again, wetted his fingers with saliva and began kneading his sphincter, inserting them slowly.

Creek held back a moaning cry. It was annoying and stung a little. It was the same feeling he'd had in Guardian, when those three guys had assaulted him in the shower pavilion. Only this time he was the one asking for it.

Mike carefully wetted his member with more saliva and positioned himself on top of him clinging to his skinny thighs for more grip. Then, slowly, he began to penetrate him.

"Try to stay relaxed and breathe. If the pain is too much tell me and I'll stop."

Creek closed his eyes. He was afraid but he wanted it badly. He wanted to feel Mike's erection inside him. He had fantasized for a long time about what it would be like to lose his virginity.

The pain came, sudden and excruciating. It was like being ripped from the inside out and Creek's first impulse was to scream 'No! Please get out! I can't!' but he restrained himself.

His face lost all color as he bit down hard on his lower lip to keep from screaming and the inside of his eyelids filled with tears.

Mike paused for a moment so that Creek's muscular ring could adjust a little and then resumed sinking into him. The sight of that androgynous, childlike looking boy who, despite his suffering, held on undaunted without making a single sound was extremely seductive and Mike enjoyed every imperceptible grimace on his face.

When he had finished his descent, he kissed him on his contracted cheekbone "I'm inside you!"

Creek just relaxed the muscles in his face and opened his reddened, liquid eyes "T ... thank you."

Mike kissed him again "The worst is over. I'm going to fuck you for real soon."

And so he did. He waited a few minutes to allow Creek to get used to the foreign body inside his rectum and then began to move. Slowly at first and gradually increasing the pace.

It didn't last long. Soon the accumulated anticipation and extreme pent-up arousal from the night before took effect and Mike released his seed inside that attractive and irresistible human body. After even the last spasm of orgasm had passed through his muscles, he kissed Creek's lips one last time and left.

Checking the state of the orifice to make sure he hadn't caused any damage - it was red and slightly bloodstained, but not torn - he lay down beside his lover. "Was that what you wanted?" he whispered, hugging him.

"Yes. I ... I needed this." the eunuch declared, taking a deep breath.

"Did you feel anything good besides the pain?"

"I don't know. Maybe at the end, when it already didn't hurt so much."

"Next time I'll make you come." Affirmed the mongrel with confidence.

"Can I ... finish?"

"I think so. There's a special spot inside your body and that hasn't been taken away from you. It’s a little difficult to locate, especially at first, and it will take patience and lots of lubricant. Your body will need to be healed because you are now too inflamed. It will hurt for a couple of days."

"I'm glad, the pain will make me think of you. It will remind me ... That you've been there ..."

Mike smiled lustfully. That innocent little boy mask of Creek's actually veiled a lecherous and perverse nature. He had chosen a lover with whom he would certainly not be bored.

They spent the next half hour resting until both of them felt the need to go and wash up. Aylin, from the living room, suppressed a smile when she saw first Creek and then Mike leave the room and run to the bathroom in embarrassment. Afterwards, the host went to the stove and they both refreshed themselves with bread, scrambled eggs and coffee.

"Mike, how did you get here?" asked Aylin suddenly, diverting his attention from the news on the TV.

"Ah ... by foot. Unfortunately, my bike came to a bad end and I'm saving up to buy a new one."

"Let me drive you home. I should have gone to Ceres to meet Sid anyway."

"That would be great, thanks!"

The new lovers looked at her appreciatively; Mike because he wouldn't have the strength to walk another 5 miles and shortly after start his shift at Depravities and the other because he wasn't sure he could stay on the seat of the bike all the way there and back.

The two young men finished their meal exchanging complicit and affectionate glances and, when the time came to say goodbye, they were reluctant to let go of each other's hand.

Left alone, Creek smiled and with a dreamy air thought back to his first sexual experience and to the new sensations that still tickled his body. His anus throbbed with life reminding him that Mike had been inside it and he felt to be a very lucky man.


	15. Difficult choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Daniel took the vehicle ashore, stopped by the gate and shut down the engines. Katze, who was sitting on the passenger side, went down first and rang the bell. The brown-haired boy took a couple of minutes to come and open, they saw him rushing through the courtyard driveway.

"Good afternoon, Master Katze. Daniel." Cal nodded to both visitors, "Unfortunately, Iason and Riki are not home and I was not notified of your arrival."

"Good afternoon, Cal. We are aware of that, I have come to talk to you." the copper-haired trader informed.

The young domestic assistant didn’t hide his amazement and immediately his logical mind began to ponder quickly. What could have made Katze want to talk to him? The first thing that came to his mind was that he had made some mistakes during the months when he was in charge of the black market and that this had only recently come to light. The second, that such visit might have something to do with his recent enrolment in the sex education course for eunuchs, and that eventuality panicked him.

"Can we get inside Cal?" Katze interrupted his thoughts stream.

"Yes, of course, come in!"

Benson was inside the house. Recognizing the couple of friends, he went to greet them with a smile.

"What a nice surprise Daniel!" He approached the ex-colleague by hugging him. Having worked together for many months in Eos, they had become good friends but he hadn’t had the opportunity to see him since the night of Dana Burn’s anniversary at Raoul’s house a couple of weeks ago and at that time they hadn’t been able to talk much, being all distracted by the mongrel pets drama. "Good afternoon Katze!" he added, turning to the other former furniture.

"Hello Benson, I didn’t expect to find you here."

"I’m just passing through, I came to see Cal."

"So I guess it’s your bike parked outside?"

"That’s right. It’s a gift from Master Raoul to facilitate my movements so I don’t have to use his car."

"I understand." Katze nodded to Daniel who immediately caugth on the message.

"Benson, how about we go out to the yard for a bit? Let’s leave Katze and Cal alone!" Without waiting for an answer, he took the barely younger eunuch by the arm and dragged him out.

Cal, left alone with his former owner, felt immediately uncomfortable. "Master Katze, if I had failed you in any way or done anything inappropriate I apologize, it was not at all intentional ..."

"Sit down Cal" The trader interrupted him by taking place on the couch, immediately imitated by the boy.

"In fact yes Cal I’m a bit disappointed, but not for some fault in your work - the way you replaced me was impeccable - but because I was hoping that you would show up on your own initiative in recent months but evidently I misjudged your intentions."

The former furniture of the Mink family was increasingly confused. "I’m sorry Master Katze, I don’t follow you."

"Tell me, didn’t you like driving the black market?"

"Yes, of course. It’s a task I’ve done very willingly."

"You have demonstrated great skills, Cal, not only in computer science but also in organizational and managerial fields. Most of my associates didn’t even notice I was gone, and you managed to keep all profits stable."

The boy was embarrassed because he wasn’t used to receiving compliments. "It was no big deal, anyone could have done it just as efficiently."

"You’re wrong, Cal, I don’t know anyone else who could have done it. Now my question is, would you like to keep doing it?"

If Cal hadn’t already been seated, he would have sought a foothold so as not to lose his balance. "I would love to Master Katze but I have to take care of Masters Iason and Riki, it’s my duty."

"Is that really what you want Cal? Be a furniture for life? Wasting your exceptional skills on making lunch for a Blondie and cleaning his house?"

Cal squeezed his fists. That offer was really tempting but ... "I can’t leave them, they need me."

Katze stood up smoothing his clothes. "I’m not suggesting you work for me, Cal, I want you as a business partner. As my equal. You should no longer execute orders but only rely on your own judgment. No more masters: only collaborators and employees waiting for instructions. You would be responsible and architect of your own destiny, recognized and appreciated for your true abilities. But the choice is yours, Cal, and I don’t want to sway you. Now you know my proposal. I’ll give you two weeks to accept or reject it, and then there’ll be no possibility of changing your mind."

By the time Daniel and Benson returned inside, the black market boss had already said all he had to. "When you’re ready, we can leave, Daniel."

The young and sunny eunuch greeted the other two warmly. "See you soon! I hope to see you both again in other circumstances. Maybe a dinner between the four of us without Blondies around! Wouldn’t that be nice?"

"I’d love to!" Benson replied with similar enthusiasm, "We could go to a restaurant, so none of us would have to worry about being the host. What do you say, Cal?"

Both turned to the former Mink family furniture but the latter was distracted and slightly pale. "Yes, I suppose that might be a good idea." he answered without much conviction.

Left alone, the green-haired young man tried to engage in some kind of conversation with Cal, who had his head somewhere else. He finally burst out "May I know what Katze told you that upset you so much?"

Cal sighed "He offered me to be his business partner!"

"But that’s great! I hope you accepted!"

"Of course not! I can’t leave Master Iason!"

"Why not? You’re too smart to be a domestic assistant!"

"Easy for you. Would you leave Raoul?"

"Sure, if they offered me a better chance. But I can do nothing but cook, take care of the house and manage Master Raoul’s accounts. I’m not as gifted as you."

The eunuch threw himself on the couch massaging his temples. Katze’s proposal had really disoriented him. What if he was wrong about him? As a furniture, Cal was accustomed to following orders and directions without taking personal initiatives. It was what he had always done. As Katze’s equal, he had to lead other people and doubted he could. Not to mention that his entire existence, since he was a child just out of the Guardian, had been devoted exclusively in Iason and Riki. He felt that he depended on them and that at the same time they depended a little on him and this relationship of mutual need gave him security.

"I feel I still belong ... to Master Iason. I know my documents say I’m free and I don’t have a tag on my wrist that identifies me as his property, but I can’t help it. I feel like I have obligations towards him."

"I think you’re just afraid that Iason might disagree" replied Benson, "You don’t want to disappoint him or have him holding a grudge ... But Katze was Lord Mink’s furniture himself, wasn’t he?"

Cal seemed to collect for a moment from his depressed state. "Yes, Katze was his furniture, but it was a long time ago."

"And isn't the work he does now like he's doing it for him? I mean ... Katze doesn’t depend on anyone but in reality behind the black market, the reconstruction of Ceres and the social reintegration of furnitures and pets there’s Iason. It’s a bit like you continue to work for your Master but in a more useful and specific way. Anyone can cook and take care of the house but few have the skills to bypass an encrypted system or manage the suburban trade. You are one of those few and you are also trustworthy ... I think Iason would gladly accept that you quit your job as a domestic assistant to become Katze’s partner!"

Cal was about to have a big headache. "Maybe you’re right," he admitted "but who would take my place here? My Masters are ... special. I don’t want them to have a stranger in the house!"

"How protective you are Cal! Iason and Riki are able to look after themselves and will know how to choose a replacement. Look at it this way: you are replaceable as a domestic employee but irreplaceable as Katze’s business partner and for me that’s enough to make a decision."

"Maybe you’re right, I’ll think about it ... but can we now talk about something else?"

"OK" Benson pulled a dataslate out of his bag "There’s something I want you to see. Are you there with your head on or do I show it to you another day?"

"I’m ready."

"I was sent the course program! Can we watch it together?" Benson looked like a kid with a new toy.

"... ok ..." replied Cal reluctantly. He hated that course and the mere idea of talking about it made him somewhat unhappy.

Benson opened the program file "Look, that’s thirteen meetings in all."

Cal unwillingly took the dataslate and placed it on his lap. All the course topics stood out clearly on the screen.

...

1st lesson - How to overcome taboos arising from furniture conditioning

2nd lesson - Eunuch pride and recognition of one’s gender and sexual potential

3rd lesson - Erogenous zones and eunuch pleasure points

4th lesson - Self-eroticism guide, or how to get pleasure on your own

5th lesson - Couple sexuality: how to interact with a eunuch partner

6th lesson - Detailed guide to orgasm

7th lesson - Sex toys for eunuchs: a valid help both for self-eroticism and for relationship

8th lesson - Couple sexuality: how to interact with an unmodified male partner

9th lesson - Couple sexuality: how to interact with a female partner

10th lesson - Couple sexuality: how to interact with an android partner

11th lesson - Literature and erotic filmography for eunuchs

12th lesson - How to prevent sexually transmitted diseases

13th lesson - Special meeting for all not-sexually modified parters of eunuchs

...

Cal read all the topics carefully. "Lessons 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13 I guess we skip." he finally said.

"Actually, I’d like to attend all the meetings except for the 13th." Benson objected.

"Why?" The young computer scientist suddenly became suspicious "Why do you need to know how to interact with a complete man, a woman or an Elite? Or how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases? You and I are healthy!"

"Well ... this course is for a general overview of sexuality. Why not take advantage of it?"

"Do you want a general sex culture? I thought you wanted to run into this kind of experience only with me..." Cal started to feel jealous and irritated.

"It is so, but this course is done once in a lifetime and we don’t know what the future will hold for us. Do you know what I mean?"

"No, I don’t understand!" Cal stood up and went into the kitchen with noisy and nagging steps "And now I have to prepare dinner! I don’t think I want to take that class anymore!"

Benson closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and counted to 10 to calm down. Who would have guessed that Cal was so short-tempered and touchy? He did remind him a little of Raoul. Part of him was happy to discover this new side of Cal’s personality because, most likely, he had never shown it to anyone since leaving Guardian and this meant that he wasn’t afraid to be seen without screens by him, but it was really hard to tolerate. Benson armed himself with patience and went to join him in the kitchen.

"Cal, the reason I want to take this course is for you and I. For us. I want us to have a conscious sex life as grown men but what’s wrong with wanting to know more? Just because we have a general overview of sex doesn’t mean we have to put everything into practice!"

"Give me just one example of how it might help us to know how to sexually interact with a complete man, if the only one you want to have sex with is me!" Cal acidly replied as he pretended to be very busy with his task of cutting an onion.

"I don’t know ... suppose that in the future we want to try a threesome with a not-eunuch ..." Cal glanced at him so shocked that Benson immediately sought a way to remedy "... or that we must give sexual advice to some friends ... or that a murderer is threatening to kill us if we don’t sexually satisfy him!"

Benson was grasping at straws but wasn’t discouraged in his attempts to convince the other boy.

"We are a numerical minority," he continued, "we live on a planet where almost everyone around us is either complete man or Elites. It’s right to want to know more about their anatomy!"

Cal threw the knife into the sink making it clink loudly against the metal wall of the tub. "Let me understand Benson: you never had sex and you are thinking about a threesome or pleasing a murderer? Are you serious?"

Benson blushed. He didn’t even know why he wanted to participate in all the lessons but he was convinced it was important and wouldn’t give up.

"These are just examples Cal! It’s important to have a general culture even if we don’t put it all into practice. Like when, during furniture training, we were taught the ancient Earth languages: English, Spanish and the other one with the strange drawings that I don’t remember what it’s called. Did we ever need them? No, but they were interesting.Or like when, in Eos, they forced us to take that first aid course for Elites. Have you ever had to rescue one? No, but it’s always better to be prepared! We also have been instructed to give mouth jobs to both male and female pets but I personally never put it into practice and anyway ... what do you have against threesome? I accompanied Master Raoul to many pet parties and multiple matings were normal. Have you never seen one?"

"No!" Cal replied, increasingly irritated "Master Iason wasn’t interested in pets other than Riki. Anyway, I don’t even know if I want to have sex with you and I just don’t really think about multiple mating!"

"Neither do I, but..." It took Benson a few seconds to interpret Cal’s words correctly "Wait, did you really say you don’t know if you want to have sex with me? Seriously? What the hell are we talking about then! I’m not going to beg the attention of someone who’s not interested in my company. I’m not that desperate! I'll attend those meetings alone and don’t bother looking for me!"

Deeply irate, Benson stormed to the front door where he collided with Iason and Riki as they entered. He was so out of his mind that he forgot his manners. Instead of apologizing, he overtook them in a bad way and went out slamming the door.

"Caaaal!" Riki called the former furniture loudly and he appeared at the kitchen door with a mortified expression.

"I’m sorry Master Riki, I ..."

"What did you say to him to piss him off like that?"

"It was for that class, I ..."

"Hurry, run after him and apologize! Don’t make him go away like that!"

"It’s just that ..."

"Move, Cal! Run before he goes!"

The boy nodded and hurried to follow Benson. Iason was puzzled. "What’s happening to the furnitures?"

"Ex furnitures, mon amour" Riki chased him around a bit "and I think it’s just a simple squabble. You know, sometimes it happens in relationship."

The Blondie took a couple of seconds to process that new information.

"And why do we never have such ‘squabbles’?" he asked. He was so concerned that his relationship with Riki might be lacking in something fundamental that he didn’t notice that he referred to Cal and Benson as a couple.

"We have a lot of squabbles, in fact you’re always pissing me off" the mongrel explained "it’s just that I don’t run away because I’m too accommodating and I forgive you everything."

"Mmmh ... and if we had now a 'squabble', should I then chase you down the street? It sounds fun."

"Just because you chase me down the street doesn’t mean you can fuck me on the sidewalk once you’ve caught me!"

"What a pity, pet ..." the Blondie hissed in an interested way as he lifted Riki's shirt with one hand and slipped the other under the tight jeans pants.

"Aaaah ... fuck Iason, we just arrived! Let me at least drink a glass of water first ... mmnnn"

He had to stop speaking because Lord Mink had put the tip of his tongue into his ear. Unable to protest further, Riki allowed himself to be taken to the bedroom.


	16. A secret shared by everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Cal reached the yard just in time to catch sight of Benson, who had already boarded the vehicle and was starting it up.

"Benson wait!"

Unfortunately, it was too late. The roar of the engine covered his voice and Cal had no choice but to stand motionless in the middle of the garden and watch the motorcycle drive away at high speed, leaving a bright trail behind it.

Returning inside, he didn't find his Masters in the living room. 'They must be in the bedroom' he deduced after looking around and, with his head in a whirlwind of thoughts, returned to his work in the kitchen.

'How did we get to this point? Where did I go wrong?'

Cal didn't feel wrong. He still believed that it didn't make sense to want to attend every class in the course, especially the ones that didn't strictly have to do with the two of them, but the last sentence he'd said had been mean and, more importantly, not true. Cal was yes scared of sexuality but he really wanted to explore it with Benson. He wanted to do it calmly and without forcing it, though.

Riki joined him, slightly fatigued, about half an hour later. The vegetable pie was already in the oven.

"So? Did you talk to him? Did you make up?" he asked, opening the fridge and serving himself a glass of iced tea from the pitcher. He was very thirsty.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get here in time, Master Riki."

Riki twisted his mouth in dissent. He didn't know what had happened between them but it certainly wasn't a good thing to fight like that and then part ways. If there was one thing he had learned from his relationship with Guy, it was that couple disputes were best resolved as soon as possible.

"Is Master Iason angry?" asked the former furniture with some apprehension. Benson had been extremely rude by leaving like that, but since he was his guest, the responsibility for that gesture was solely his.

"Angry no, I would say more intrigued. But he's in a good mood and I don't think he'll give you any trouble about it. Now, you wanna tell me what the hell did you do to piss Benson off like that?"

Cal described the events of that afternoon, obviously omitting anything that had to do with Katze and his job offer.

"Wow, so you actually told him you didn't want to have sex with him?"

"Yeah but ... I don't know why I did it. I was angry because of his absurd stubbornness of wanting to take part in every class meeting at all costs. His justifications seemed ridiculous and grasping at straws."

"Well, they were probably a little grasping at straws but the point is, why did he have to justify himself? You are, of course, not obligated to participate in classes that don't interest you but you can't stop him from doing so. I think you are simply jealous and insecure. The fact that Benson attends all the meetings doesn't mean he wants to have sex with someone other than you, maybe he's just curious. We didn't go to all that much trouble to free Amoi from a tyrant for you to decide on another person's behalf what he can and cannot do. You should learn to trust!"

With that said, Riki left Cal alone.

The boy waited until the layer of cheese covering the pie took on a nice golden hue and removed it from the oven to let it cool. He then pulled his phone from his pocket hoping to find some messages from Benson on it but there were none. Swallowing his pride, he dialed his number but the device was unreachable. Anxious, he went back to the living room to ask Riki for advice again. He and Iason were sitting on the living room couch with some papers in hand.

"Master Iason?"

The Blondie looked up slightly, framing him on his servant. "Yes, Cal?"

"I wanted to apologize for Benson's behavior just now. I take full responsibility for it, and if you see fit to take action on it, I will accept it whatever it may be. Only please: don't mention it to Lord Am."

Iason nodded. "I had no intention of doing so Cal, but I appreciate your coming to talk to me about it. Consider the matter resolved. Just try to keep it from happening again. Is there anything else?"

"Actually yes," at those words Iason dilated his pupils showing some interest as if expecting that his furniture was about to reveal something very specific to him but what he heard immediately after disappointed his expectations. "May I steal Master Riki from you for a moment? I would need to speak privately with him about a matter of a ... personal nature."

Avoiding an answer, Lord Mink merely moved his head slightly hinting that he had no objection to the matter and Riki, after stamping a kiss on his lips, followed Cal into the kitchen.

"Still having trouble with Benson?" The mongrel asked after the door had closed behind them.

"Yes. I tried to call him but I think he turned his phone off. I'm afraid I ... blew it," the eunuch explained, nervously wringing his hands. Riki exhaled a deep sigh and dialed Guy's number.

\- Guy, is Benson there with you? Cal would like to speak with him. Yes thanks, I'll wait -

During the two minutes in which Riki remained silent, probably waiting for Guy to go and look for Benson, Cal waited anxiously.

\- Well? Oh ... Okay, I'll tell him. Never mind, thanks anyway. - "Sorry Cal, he doesn't want to talk to you."

The former furniture, not knowing what else to do, sat down with a rather distressed expression on his face. Riki looked at him with gravity for a while before saying: "Are you really going to make things right with him or will you make more messes?

"No Master Riki, I realize I've been too possessive and jealous. I want to make it up to him," the eunuch confirmed.

"Okay. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?"

Cal answered negatively.

"Take Iason's car then and go join him, he won't be needing it today anyway. I'll tell him I gave you permission to do so, but I have a condition!"

"A condition?"

"Yes. You will spend the night with Benson. I don't want to see you back until morning!"

Catching the meaning of Riki's words, Cal first blushed but then took his hands to thank him "Alright! Thank you!" and immediately went to his room to change his clothes. Fifteen minutes later he was already on his way to Midas.

***

Cal had been to Raoul's house on only one other occasion, on Dana Burn's anniversary, but this was the first time he had been there alone. He rang the doorbell and, as was to be expected, it was Benson himself who came to open the gate shortly thereafter. The Am family employee looked at him with a mixture of astonishment and irritation.

"So ... you've come this far ..." he observed in an almost detached manner, as if he didn't really care. "You might as well go back," he added, "I have nothing to say to you."

Cal blocked the gate with one foot before he could close it in his face. "No Benson wait! I came to apologize!"

"Too late. You've already made your true intentions pretty damn clear, I'm just sorry you didn't tell me sooner. I'm not going to stand by someone who isn't really interested in being with me, so stop nagging me!"

Benson was merciless and didn't bother to hide his angry mood even when Lord Am reached him.

"Who's at the door, Benson?" asked the Blondie, intrigued that his servant was engaging with a mysterious visitor in the courtyard.

"It's nothing important, Master Raoul. Cal had come to tell me something, but now he's about to leave. Aren't you?" The green-haired boy squared the other eunuch with a look as sour as it was eloquent.

"No!" replied Cal sharply "Excuse me Lord Am, I mean no disrespect but I really need to talk to Benson."

"And I don't want to listen to you!" exclaimed the other "And now stop embarrassing me in front of my Master!"

The volume of that conversation had become so loud that it had also attracted Guy's attention. The mongrel, who more or less understood what was going on since Riki's phone call, tried to get Raoul out of there. "Come bombon, let's go back inside. Let's give the kids some privacy!"

"No!" this time it was Benson who had countered, and at the same time he grabbed a flap of the Blondie's sleeve so that he wouldn't leave. A freedom he could only afford by virtue of the fact that, after the punishment they had both received from Jupiter and Raoul's long confinment in Eos, their relationship had over time become more like that of two family members rather than to that of a servant with his Master. "Both of you stay! I bet Cal can tell me what he has to in front of everyone!"

The young eunuch swallowed uncomfortably at the three pairs of eyes staring at him. ' So much for not wanting to be embarrassed in front of his Masters!' He thought. "Benson ... I'm sorry for what I said today. I don't think so. I want to be with you too ... in that sense too."

"What sense Cal? Be more specific!" There wasn't the slightest hint of empathy in Benson's ironclad expression.

"In the ... physical sense ..." Cal forced himself to vocalize. Raoul was increasingly interested in the turn that conversation was taking.

"You're still not clear. What would you like to do with me?" Benson was a block of marble. He wasn't going to play Cal's game. He wasn't going to accept the company of someone who wasn't sure what he wanted. He didn't want a half-hearted relationship.

Cal breathed deeply, trying to ignore Raoul and Guy's questioning, intrigued eyes fixed on him and pretending to be alone in front of Benson.

"I want to spend the night with you. Today." he swallowed a gulp of saliva that was choking his throat "Naked." he focused only on his boyfriend's face, letting everything else become an undefined blur. "I want to ... explore your body intimately and for you to do the same with me. I don't feel ready for sex yet but ... I will be soon ... if you'll give me time to get there slowly. Today, however, I will give you ... everything I can."

Cal felt like he'd gotten a huge weight off his chest and he didn't mind so much about doing it in public. Benson smiled, both in victory for taking a little revenge and in tenderness for how Cal had shown he truly cared about him.

"Thank you both, I no longer need you!" he said, turning to his Masters. Guy, somewhat amused at Benson's instinct for revenge, dragged his Blondie away promising he would explain everything to him later.

Cal stared at the other furniture interdicted "You were ... wicked! You did it on purpose. You wanted me to say those things in front of them!"

"Yes," the boy admitted, "I had to make you pay for it somehow. You can't hope to treat me the way you did and get away with it."

"Now ... your Masters know what will happen between us tonight ..."

"Therefore? Is it that bad? Are you so worried about the judgment of others?"

Cal thought about it and, in fact, realized it wasn't really something that worried him. He had heard the sounds made by Iason and Riki during their intimate moments hundreds of times, and surely Raoul and Guy didn't behave differently. Sex seemed to be some sort of secret shared by everyone.

"No, I don't mind." He said after a few seconds "Between us ... is everything okay?"

"Almost! You have to kiss me first!" Benson closed his eyes and waited for Cal's mouth to rest on his, which came immediately followed by his hands gripping his hips. He kissed back and stroked his soft brown hair, almost up to his ears.

That evening the four of them dined together and neither Guy nor Raoul thought it necessary to talk about what had happened before or to refer to what would succed later. Then, the two eunuchs retired to Benson's room.

For the first time, with some shyness, they removed all their clothes and showed each other without shields. They caressed, kissed, and touched. Benson pulled out a small vial of almond oil from the drawer and offered Cal a massage. As he loosened his muscles, which were a little tight from long hours on his feet at work or sitting at his computer, he tried to figure out which spots gave him a thrill. The brown-haired boy returned the favor. He traced with his fingers all the subtle and cruel signs that marked Benson's back and stopped only when he reached his smooth white buttocks. The latter, lying on his stomach, lightly pointed his knees on the mattress and lifted his pelvis inviting him to continue, which Cal did, discovering that it was nice to touch even forbidden areas.

When it became late, they turned off the light and chatted for a while until slumber took over their excitement. To fall asleep naked and clinging to each other's bodies was a good sensation that made them feel loved and protected.

The two eunuchs rested like this, intertwined and sincere. No longer furniture devoted only to serving a Master but men whose priority had become to cultivate their own pleasure and interests and to watch over the one they had decided to love.

***

It took Cal nearly ten days to gather the courage he needed to face Iason. One afternoon he waited until Riki was busy with other matters and entered the study. "Master, I need to speak with you."

"Sure Cal, go ahead." The Blondie looked up from the terminal he was working on and turned his attention to him.

"There's something I want to talk to you about, but ... you might not like it ..."

Iason rippled his gaze slightly and rested his elbow on the desk and his chin on his hand "Carry on, Cal."

The boy nodded. "The fact is that ... Master Katze has offered me to become his business partner and I ... decided to accept."

The Blondie smiled and the curvature of his lips, from barely noticeable, became an audible, amused laugh. "Just in time, dear Cal, another couple of days and we would have begun to think you weren't up to it."

The eunuch, relieved to see his Master laughing instead of angry, looked surprised.

"You ... already knew?"

"Of course. Katze had described your exceptional abilities to me, and I could only agree with him. You are wasting your time and your skills working as a domestic assistant and will be far more useful in business." Lord Mink paused for a moment and then shook his head, smiling. "For some mysterious reason all of my furnitures turns out to be extremely computer savvy: first Katze, then Daryl, and, apparently, you too."

Daryl's name rang in Cal's head. Where had he heard it before? Of course, it was the furniture that had preceded him. Riki had been mentioning it quite often lately.

"Why ... didn't you tell me about it?" he ventured to ask. Making that decision as well as finding the courage to go talk to his Master had been very difficult for Cal. Knowing that Iason had known about it from the beginning and that he was okay with that transfer would have saved him a lot of stomach aches and sleepless nights.

"It's time for you to learn to take responsibilities Cal and I think this is a good start. To work in the black market, it won't be enough for you to know how to use computer languages, you'll have to be assertive and constantly face the outside world and your fears. This little test will help you get unstuck. Now tell me: when will you move?"

"As soon as possible," the eunuch replied, "if you already have in mind who my replacement will be, I will stay as long as necessary to train him."

"That won't be necessary, just arrange for your transfer. Riki and I can get away with it for now."

"Thank you Master Iason" The future trader took his leave, left the room and immediately went to phone Katze to let him know about his decision.

***

That night, in the bedroom, Riki rested his head on the Blondie's chest, who began rubbing his shoulders. He seemed to feel his muscles tense more than usual. "Is something bothering you, Riki?"

"No," the young man replied initially, but then reconsidered. "In fact ... yes ... I overheard the conversation between you and Cal in the study earlier ..."

"Were you eavesdropping?" asked Lord Mink softly.

"I wasn't eavesdropping, I just happened to be passing by and walked over to the door to hear better."

'That means eavesdropping,' thought the Blondie, but avoided saying it. "I see. And what's the big deal? Don't you want Cal to leave?"

"It's not that. I'm happy for him, he'll do a great job with Katze. It's about something else ..." Riki tittered, and Iason laid a hand on his back to instill him courage. "Come on, what do you want to tell me?" he insisted.

"It's about Daryl," the mongrel exclaimed all at once. "You mentioned him today!"

Iason pulled his hand away from Riki's skin and his demeanor became instantly detached. "We're not having this conversation AGAIN, Riki!" He exclaimed, in a way that was meant to be definitive.

"But why not? You never want to talk about it!" The young man, who by now had thrown the rock, pulled himself up to sit down and confront his Blondie face to face. "You swore to me that you didn't know where he was transferred to, but I heard you say today that he was very gifted. You can't not know what happened to him. No way! It wouldn't have been like you to lose a valuable pawn in your games like that. Why did you get rid of him? Where did you send him? And don't come at me again with that 'staff rotation' story because I know enough about Eos to understand you made that shit up!"

Riki was very agitated. Iason closed his eyes with a sigh and, without losing his pragmatic calm, placed his hands firmly on his lover shoulders and pulled him towards himself until he was resting on his chest again. "Please, forget about Daryl. I can't tell you any more about him than I already have. Don't think about him anymore. Don't ask me any more questions."

As he tried to calm him down, Iason wondered if he would ever be able to remove the regret Riki felt towards his former furniture from his head. Unfortunately, he couldn't reveal the truth: his mongrel couldn't accept the idea that Daryl was gone, that he had been eliminated for aiding his escape from Eos, and that Iason hadn't been able to do anything to prevent that sentence.

"Forgive me Riki," he whispered to him, when the man finally fell asleep.


	17. Cal's replacement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Cal left Mink's house a week after that conversation. He returned to his old room in the basement shelter even though, in reality, he'd use it almost exclusively to sleep because his plans were to spend most of his time in the office.

It took him some time to adjust to his new role. Cal was very good at working alone but not used to collaborating with a team and his natural predisposition for computer codes, foreclosed to most, sometimes led him to be a bit of an individualist, not sharing information and knowledge and isolating himself from other people.

Katze gave him carte blanche and entrusted him with everything to do with IT so that he could dedicate himself to cultivating public relations: that is, inspecting factories to optimize their performance, maintaining stable relationships with old customers and acquiring new ones.

Cal's shy, unsociable nature was initially a problem. What made him most uncomfortable was Reinold's presence: he really couldn't understand why Katze had decided to give him that job. Annoyed by having him around, he tended to ignore him for the most part.

In reality, each of the components of the black market team had a well-defined role: Cal and Katze dealt with everything to do with illicit business, smuggling, and illegal trade - the former on the net and the latter putting his face.

Daniel worked in the daylight doing clerical and secretarial duties, with a focus on the social reintegration program for former furnitures and pets.

Reinold was in charge of making sure Cal, Katze and Daniel didn't have to worry about everything else. He sorted phone calls, opened and closed the door, ran small errands, kept the place tidy, made sure the refrigerator was always full, prepared meals, and generally tried to be helpful at all times. He was willing, accepted challenges and never said no, even though, due to his lack of experience, illiteracy and failing of education, even the simplest tasks seemed like mountains for him to climb. Anyway Reinold was smart, alternating between work and study and becoming more and more adept every day both in household management and in other practical activities such as driving, navigating the Midas neighborhoods or shopping, but there was still a long way to go.

This team was designed to excel in efficiency but the arrival of Cal, at first, destabilized it a bit. It was only thanks to Daniel's intervention that things started to turn around.

The young former type D furniture was very different from Cal. He hadn't served in a Blondie's house. He hadn't known comfort and privilege. Although he was gifted with great intelligence, from the moment he left Guardian he had to engineer his way through life, roll up his sleeves and show humility.

Such a painful adolescence would have made anyone a dark and lonely person but not him. Daniel was the exact opposite. He was cheerful, jovial, optimistic and accommodating. He always put aside pride and personal gain in favor of the common good. He didn't point fingers at others and found practical and efficient solutions to every problem with a smile on his face. He was sincere, got along with everyone and always gave good advice. He could see everything from an objective and unbiased perspective. He put everyone in a good mood.

Daniel was a ray of sunshine that illuminated everyone around him, and Katze had known this for a long time. He had experienced it on his own skin because it was only thanks to Daniel that he had been able to overcome the enormous difficulties arising from his long confinement in Eos without losing himself and falling into an abyss of depression. Daniel kept him alive and gave Katze back that smile he had lost many years ago when a ruthless and far-sighted Blondie decided to scarr his face to punish his excessive curiosity and put him at the head of a dangerous, all-encompassing and full of dark facets organization. Daniel continued to feed that smile every day and Katze, thanks to him, had regained the joy of life and understood that pleasing a former Master didn't have to be the only purpose of his existence.

The same spell Daniel had cast on Katze soon worked on Reinold and Cal as well. The awkwardness between the two disappeared and the atmosphere inside the black market offices became more relaxed. By using the weapons of light-heartedness, simplicity and humility, Daniel managed to temper Cal's more serious, demanding and dramatic nature and get him to trust the abilities of others a little more, to delegate and to let himself be helped. Eventually, the black market team became what Katze had planned all along, which was a tight-knit, productive machine.

***

The sex education course for eunuchs had begun and both Cal and Benson were attending. Daniel was taking part in it as a representative of the ex-furniture social reintegration program, which was funding and sponsoring the course, and Katze came to assist occasionally when he wasn't too busy. The lecturers were two aging eunuchs, both former Eos furniture, who had gained their freedom many years ago after retiring for good behavior and who, after the reforms, had begun producing pornographic magazines and film for eunuchs. They had also been joined by a sexologist and a psychologist.

In total there were 25 participants, but Daniel was the only one with some practical experience, so much so that he was often invited to speak in front of the class to give ideas and opinions or to recount personal experiences. Daniel did this without shame, not even when Katze happened to be watching from the doorjamb and observed him with a veiled glint of adoration in his gaze. The young eunuch simply stopped talking for a moment, looked at him with complicity, smiled, and resumed his tale.

***

Raoul, much to Guy's relief, finally agreed to resume work at the clinic. Although he had been absent for a long time - almost a year overall - no one had taken his place, and Lord Am returned to assume the role of chief biotechnologist, chief scientific officer, and head of the Jupiter Tower clinic. Work took most of his day and this way Guy was free to carry on his social work within Ceres without having to worry about the Blondie feeling neglected.

***

Fifteen days after Cal's departure, the atmosphere in the Mink household began to get a tad tense.

Iason still hadn't hired a replacement housekeeper, but at the same time hadn't changed his ways. He not only acted as if there was still someone to keep the house clean and tidy, to prepare and serve his meals and to wash, iron and arrange his clothes in the closet, but he also demanded to be assisted in basic actions such as, for example, that someone would receive his coat and cloak when he entered the house or hand them to him when he had to leave. Or for someone to dry the place after his passage on the shower. Iason left a lake on the ground each time.

Riki obviously didn't want to be Cal's replacement and, after explaining to him numerous times that he couldn't continue to have that blond prince attitude, he simply began to refuse to do most of the housework, limiting himself to the bare essentials. When Iason realized that he no longer had any ironed clothes to wear, that the house wasn't cleaning itself, that the grass in the garden was growing too much, and that they were now only eating pre-cooked or received at home from the restaurant food, he decided to have a talk with Riki.

"We need to hire a furniture soon," he declared that night over dinner.

"Need I remind you, Iason, that furnitures no longer exists? It was you yourself who banned their 'production'," Riki replied, as he dipped a piece of bread into the salad dressing.

"Obviously I'm referring to a former furniture, an eunuch seeking new employment," the Blondie pointed out, slightly annoyed by Riki's wry attitude.

"Iason, this mentality is precisely what prevents us from evolving. Why an eunuch? We live in Ceres and it's full of willing young men looking for work. Let's hire one of them!"

"I'm not going to take an anatomically complete man into service," the dry Blondie interrupted him.

"Uh? And why is that?"

"It seems obvious to me. I'm not going to let a sexually active man tend to your needs."

Riki had to hold back an angry outburst and nervously made his teeth crunch between them as he swallowed the mouthful. "I can't believe it! Again with these stupid jealousies and possessions of yours! I dress, wash and wipe my ass myself, if you hadn't noticed!!"

"What about Gideon's furniture? He lives nearby, he wouldn't even have to move," the Blondie offered, purposely ignoring Riki's protests.

"Are you talking about Creek? Iason, that boy inherited all of Gideon's possessions, he's set up for life. Why the hell would he put himself back to work as a domestic assistant in someone's house?"

Since Lord Mink didn't answer, deep in some thought, Riki spoke again. "Why don't we get Daryl back? He was good. I can talk to him if you are embarrassed to do so after you kick him out. Just tell me how to get in touch with him!"

Iason gave him a murderous look.

"Okay okay, sorry, just kidding! I gave it a try!" The mongrel justified himself, raising his hands defensively. Suddenly he had another idea. "Give me a few days and I'll find someone suitable. If I can't, I'll let you choose from Eos's former furnitures. Deal?"

Iason suspected some of Riki's typical cheap shots but curiosity drove him to agree. "Deal, you have until the next Saturn."

***

A couple of days later, Iason was sitting in the living room intent on reading one of his dusty books when Riki noisily burst into the house accompanied by a woman. The Blondie, surprised, put down the tome and observed at her carefully. She was a middle-aged woman, 40 or maybe 50 years old. Petite and a little fleshy, with long black hair streaked with gray gathered in a bun. She was wearing a plaid shirt, denim pants and comfortable shoes commonly used for sports.

Iason had obviously seen female human beings before, but they were almost exclusively pets, so young and attractive girls with flawless body and face. This woman on the other hand appeared very real, overall pleasant to look at with a few wrinkles on her face, her hair rough and coarse, her skin slightly droopy and her body barely deformed by age. Unconsciously he found himself thinking for a moment about his Riki: would he also suffer the effects of the passage of time? At that idea, he felt he wanted him even more.

"Iason meet Jenny, she's going to help us with the house. Jenny, Iason. Don't be intimidated by him, he's less threatening than he looks," Riki exclaimed, introducing the newcomer.

Jenny, not at all intimidated, walked over smiling at the Blondie and hugged him vigorously. "Nice to meet you Iason. What happiness to meet little Riki's partner!"

Iason, quite surprised by that display of affection to which he was absolutely not accustomed, responded by carefully placing a hand on her back. When she pulled away, he asked for more information. "Good evening madam. Am I to assume that you already knew Riki?"

"Oh you may say so dear, he would have been impossible to forget. One of the most unruly yet adorable children in Guardian. I can't tell you how many times I had to cover up his mischief or hide him from the wrath of the teachers!"

"Guardian?" Iason was increasingly surprised.

"I'll explain," Riki interjected. "Jenny worked at Guardian as a housekeeper, doing a little bit of everything but mainly taking care of us kids. We hadn't been able to meet our biological mother but we all saw her as the closest thing to a maternal figure."

"In that case allow me to welcome you, Miss Jenny, it's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the person who was like a mother to Riki," the Blondie said politely.

The woman smiled and nodded an amused reverence. "Oh, Riki is exaggerating. Simply because I couldn't have children of my own, I was happy to take care of all those little daredevils. A fine irony of fate, wouldn't you say, Iason? To discover oneself sterile in a world where 95% of the population is male and women are considered useful only for procreation and, thanks to this 'misfortune', to have the possibility of accompanying the growth of hundreds of children. I remember almost everyone who has passed through Guardian over the past 15 years but some have made more of a dent in my heart than others. And Riki was one of those. I was touched when he came looking for me this morning."

Iason was really happy to have found out more about his mongrel's past and thought with interest and amusement that he might take advantage of the time he would be alone with Jenny to get some anecdotes from Riki's childhood.

"So, Miss Jenny, have you agreed to take up service in our home? Would you like to move your residence here?"

"Just call me Jenny dear Iason, I'm not used to formalities. I will help you with chores but I would like to keep the residence I have now. I live not far from here with my partner, in one of the new buildings near the maternity center."

Iason nodded, he knew those buildings very well, he himself had authorized their construction to house Guardian residents. "Very well Jenny, you will be made to sign a regular contract. I hope we can count on your presence at least six days a week, for eight hours a day."

"Yes dear Iason don't worry, when I make a commitment I am observant of my duties. I'll tell you more: I'll start right away. This house is a real mess. Riki, why don't you and Iason go for a walk? This place needs a lot of cleaning and I'll have to move some furniture around. I'll have dinner ready for you."

"Sure mama Jenny!" Riki went to get Iason's coat and waited for him by the door. "Come love, no questioning a lady's orders," he called back to him.

Iason was a little bewildered because it was the first time he had been warmly invited to leave his house (or any other place), but there was something both authoritative and comforting at the same time in the way she spoke. So he obeyed willingly, also because he agreed that his house had become unlivable and the idea of going somewhere together with Riki didn't displease him at all.

***

"So? How about Jenny?" Riki asked, as he walked hand in hand with Iason through one of New Ceres' newly created parks.

"She seems like a woman who knows her stuff, she'll definitely be very useful to us," the Blondie replied quietly.

"You know, back in Guardian she was always the one who cared for us and comforted us when we got punished or yelled at by the guardians. Everyone loves her here. She's a great woman and you should feel honored that she agreed to work for us. Don't make me regret bringing her."

Iason wrinkled his eyes. "I feel honored to have the mother of all Ceres' children looking after us, but why do you think I would make you regret it?"

"Just don't embarrass me in front of her and don't do bad things like that of ... you know, on the anniversary day. And don't make stupid demands like expecting her to pick up your cloak when you come in the house or put your book back after you're done reading it. She's not a furniture, some things you can do yourself!"

"Mmmh, I guess I'll have to adjust then," agreed the Blondie quietly. "And, as for anniversary night, I've already promised you I won't do it again unless you make it clear to me that you're ready to endure it anew. But you can't ask me to refrain from having sex with you while Jenny is in the house."

"No, sex is fine ... let's just try to limit the noise and not make the walls shake. She's only going to be there for 8 hours a day anyway and the rest of the time will be available for us to do what we want. In some way, it is also an advantage not to have a furniture around 24 hours don't you think? That way we can take advantage of all the rooms in the house!"

Iason brought himself in front of him, shaking black wisps from his forehead. "You may be right," he said, before invading his mouth with a kiss.


	18. Ghosts of Riki's past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by [nek0zawakun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nek0zawakun/)

A few days after hiring Jenny, Riki purposely chose the time when he was sure that Katze and Daniel would be absent, and went to the black market office building.

The door was opened via intercom by an unfamiliar voice, with whose owner Riki collided almost immediately after crossing the doorstep. He was an attractive young man with flashy magenta hair down to the base of his neck, clear emerald eyes, a lean body with soft curves and a face completely devoid of beard.

"Hello!" Riki exclaimed. "You must be Katze's new assistant!" He didn't need to introduce himself because he had already relayed his name over the intercom.

"Hi. Yes, my name is Reinold," the other replied.

"We've never met but I'm quite at home around here. I used to work here," the mongrel explained.

Reinold had heard so much about the famous Riki when he lived in Eos: Lord Mink's mongrel pet, the protagonist of so many scandals. Since he had learned that Riki was a friend of Katze and Cal and had worked for the black market as well, he had been looking forward to meeting him.

"Yes I know, Katze told me to always let you in. I heard a lot about you from him. You were famous in Eos too."

"In Eos? Is that where you come from?"

"Yes, I am ... I was a pet," the boy revealed feeling ashamed.

"Really?" Riki leaned closer to get a better look at him. "You actually look like a pet. And tell me, were you one of those who thought they were better than everyone else just because they had a pedigree?"

Reinold lowered his gaze with a look of embarassment on his face and Riki patted him on the back. "I'm just kidding. I know that place can bring out the worst in anyone. All pets were a pain in the ass, but whatever you did in Eos, the important thing is that you got out. I know that environment and pet salons are very toxic. They make you lose your mind. I was also one of you for a while."

"I know," Reinold turned and focused his gaze on his interlocutor, "you were Iason Mink's mongrel pet, you were famous. You were often talked about, and after the death - or rather, fake death - of the head of the syndicate you became practically a legend. I didn't think I'd ever get to meet you."

"Wow, I had no idea," Riki admitted, genuinely surprised.

"Is it true that you and your former Blondie Master are now together? That you're a couple?"

"Yes. Our story is actually a bit complicated and it took time to get to where we are now, but it's all true. Why do you ask?"

"I used to be a Blondie's pet, too," Reinold replied.

"Really? Who was yours?"

"Lord Zeke Bell."

"Hmm, I think I remember him. Wasn't he the one with the braids? Who went around covered in jewels?"

" Yes, he had beautiful braids. Sometimes I was the one who styled his hair." Thinking back to his Master's soft, golden hair, Reinold smiled almost unconsciously.

"Well, it wasn't bad. Not one of the worst, anyway," recalled Riki, who hadn't noticed Reinold's strange, dreamy reaction. "And tell me, how do you feel about living outside Eos and having decent clothes on?"

The memory of the skimpy, shameful clothing he wore in Eos made Reinold blush. "Good. I was lucky to have the opportunity to work for Katze."

"Working for Katze is never a matter of luck, if he chose you it means you have hidden talents ... and I don't mean those talents that pets are known for. If you catch my drift." Riki winked at the boy and indicated that he wanted to proceed to Cal's office but Reinold seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't muster the courage to do so.

"Is there anything else?" The young man asked.

"Atually, yes. Just curiousity ... how did you understand that it was going to work out between you and your Blondie? That your relationship had changed from that of a Master and his pet .... to something else? That he would no longer treat you as an object?"

'From the fact that he got his legs crushed for me ...' thought Riki, but it wasn't worth telling. "Our story is very complicated," he said instead, "but let's just say it was a gradual transition. He has agreed to make sacrifices and change his habits a bit and I have learned to accept the peculiarities of his character. We are very different but we have learned to know each other and to communicate. The most important thing is to be clear from the start, that no matter how much he may love you, he is and will always be a Blondie - so basically a sadistic, self-centered bastard - but if you can overcome that layer, you will find a person capable of giving you so much love. More than you'll ever be able to give back to him. The love of a Blondie is absolute and without reservation. It's forever. He will never let you go and will make you feel special every day of your life."

Reinold lingered on those words and then, perhaps guided by such a heartfelt confession, felt the need to open up in turn. "My former Master didn't want me to walk away from Eos. After he found out where I had gone to work, he came here looking for me several times, but I never let him in." He paused for a moment, unsure if what he was about to say was appropriate, but then continued. "You know, he ... was acting somewhat weird and that's one of the reasons I decided to leave Tanagura."

"What do you mean by 'he was acting weird'? All Blondies are weird!"

Reinold lowered his voice to make sure Cal didn't hear him. "He had started ... touching me ... intimately. And was touching himself when he looked at me. He wanted me to sleep in the same bed as him and was constantly asking me where I had been or where I wanted to go. He had become very protective, almost suffocating. He was jealous of the other pets I hang out with and no longer wanted me to perform in public. He would stay home and watch me for hours and once he even ... kissed me. When I informed him of my decision to leave he became hysterical, to the point where I feared for my life but eventually ... he let me go."

To Riki, this information felt like déjà vu. "And how do you feel about that? What do you feel thinking back to the times you've been with him?"

"Well, that's the weirdest thing. I feel ... restless. I often dream about him at night or remember him at the least appropriate times. I constantly imagine relive that kiss. It's stupid isn't it?"

Riki sighed. Shit. "No Reinold, there's nothing stupid about that. If you want, get my private number from Cal or Katze and we can talk about it calmly. This is a delicate situation and not to be taken lightly. Okay?"

"Sure! Thank you Riki!!!"

Reinold returned to his chores and Riki made his way to Cal's office. Seeing Cal engaged in some complicated calculations, Riki took advantage of his distraction to throw himself at the boy and ruffle his hair. "Hey! how is our computer king manager?"

"Master Riki ... what are you doing here?"

Taking on new responsibilities had changed Cal a bit, and he was finally able to abandon a lot of furniture servility and call people by their names, but Iason and Riki continued to be his Masters.

"A simple courtesy visit to my old pet-sitter!"

Cal didn't seem pleased with that display of affection. "You shouldn't act like that ... it's inappropriate!"

"Phew what a bore you are! What are you worried about? That someone will see you? You're the boss around here!"

Instead of distancing himself, he playfully sat on Cal's lap pretending to seduce him. "Tell me pretty boy ... you have access to all of Katze's files don't you?" He said, purring like a cat.

Cal gave him a little nudge to get off. "Master Riki, I'm not going to go out of my way to help you with anything shady!"

"Come on! In honor of the old days! One last favor for your former Master!!! I let you take me on a leash, you owe me!!!"

"You had no choice," the young eunuch pointed out, "and you can't fool me anyway! If you're asking me, that means Katze already told you no!"

"Touché. But that's just silly! I just need a bit of information. I'm not going to get you in trouble!!!"

Cal couldn't resist Riki's pleas. "What's this about?"

The mongrel smiled triumphantly. "I need to know all of Iason's transactions - purchases, sales, donations, disposals etc - in the biological field starting from this day." He handed Cal a slip of paper with a date on it: the date of his ill-fated escape from Eos many years before.

"Biological field? You mean ... human beings?"

"Yes exactly. Furniture, pets and so on."

The boy entered his passwords into the terminal to access Katze's private files and programs. About twenty minutes later he found the requested information.

"Iason made five transactions since the date you indicated. Two days later, he recorded the release of a pet from Eos with an unknown destination, number Z-107M, but didn't delete him from the archive."

"That's me. That's the day he freed me."

Cal nodded and moved on to the next movement.

"A month later, he purchased the furniture A-9462. This is me." Cal reported. Riki was thoughtful.

"Are you sure that before buying you, he didn't sell the previous furniture?"

The eunuch opened a couple of new windows. "No Riki I'm sorry, there is no trace of information about it either before or after that date. It's as if before me Iason didn't have a furniture for many years. If this Daryl really existed, he was carefully removed from the records."

"But why? What can be a valid justification for such a procedure?"

Cal started feeling intrigued too by the oddness of the situation. "Is it possible that he has committed something particularly serious? High treason or hacking of confidential data? Attempted escape? Attempted murder of his Master? A breach capable of embarrassing Eos's security systems could justify an elimination resulting in the deletion of a particular individual from all archives."

Riki shook his head. "No Cal, that's impossible. That guy was a good egg, an automaton devoted to rules and duties, he would never do anything like that. If what you say is true, I would have been the one who had to be eliminated because of my escape."

Cal widened his eyes, "You escaped from Eos, Riki? I didn't know. How did you do it?"

The mongrel shrugged. "One day the entrance doors suddenly opened in front of my eyes and I took advantage of it. It was pretty stupid, looking back at it now. The area was full of guards. They caught me right away, beat me up and locked me in a cell. The only silver lining to all this was that, two days later, Iason allowed me to return to Ceres."

Cal wrinkled his eyes with suspicion, an act that didn't go unnoticed by Riki. "Did you think of something? What ... oh fuck, do you think Daryl had something to do with my escape?"

Cal looked absent-mindedly. "It's likely, Riki. Eos's security systems are too advanced for the door to have opened accidentally. Someone must have given the order from the inside, someone capable of hacking the network and tampering with the system, someone with access to a terminal with unlimited permissions like the one in the penthouse. Iason said Daryl was ... very gifted."

Riki paled. Was that even possible? Daryl, whom Riki had always despised and insulted and whose life he had made hell, had sacrificed himself to allow him to escape from Eos? That possibility shocked him.

He was so absorbed in the thought that he almost didn't notice the communicator buzzing in his pocket. After several rings, he took out it, ready to answer. Raoul's name flashed on the screen.

\- What's going on brother-in-law? - He asked, trying to compose himself.

\- Is Guy with you? - Raoul, despite all the changes of the last two years, continued to get straight to the point of the conversation without unnecessary fluff.

\- No, sorry, I haven't seen him today. -

\- Do you have any idea where he might have gone? -

\- Nothing comes to my mind. Is there a problem? -

\- We were supposed to have lunch in Jupiter tower but he didn't show up. His phone is unreachable. -

Riki knew that Raoul, like all Blondies, didn't like unforeseen events and tended to be dramatic and pessimistic, especially if such an unforeseen event had to do with Guy. So he tried to minimize the issue.

\- Come on Blondie, give the man a break. Maybe he forgot about your meeting and went to Ceres. There are points there where the signal is absent. He'll call you back soon, you'll see.-

\- Goodbye Riki. -

Raoul hastily closed the communication and Riki fell back into the spiral of thoughts he had a few minutes ago, until Cal interrupted him. "Riki, do you want to see the other transactions or can I close the program?"

While they were there, what was the harm in investigating what other humans Iason had been dealing with at the time? "Tell me about the other transactions."

"Master Iason made the acquisition of a new pet, number Z-759H, and the reacquisition of Z-107M, so you, a few days later. I remember this date, it's the day we met. Then, the donation of Z-759H to a Midasian VIP of the federation whose name was Mr. Hazall according to the records. Nothing else."

Riki tried to process that new information. "Wait ... Iason took a Z-type pet and donated it a short time later? Aren't pets whose registration number starts with Z all mongrels?"

"Yes Riki, they are. It sounded strange to me too and while you were on the phone with Raoul I did some research. It seems that said pet was first modified and converted into an 'Alita' and only then donated."

"What the hell is an Alita?" It was the first time Riki had heard that word.

"It's a human being whose mind has been wiped clean and modified to become a doll without reasoning and useful only for sexual purposes."

Suddenly, Riki understood. Fuck. Kirie!

The last time he'd seen the kid, he'd been in Raoul's doctor's office in Eos and Kirie was completely blown away, as if someone had messed up his brain. "Is there a picture or physical description of this Alita?"

"Hold on, I'll check." Cal typed in a few more codes. "No photo, but it says that at the time of the donation he was seventeen years old, wavy brown hair, and as a special sign, he had an ocular-heterochromia gray on the right and blue on the left. Anything else you want to know?"

Riki rubbed his hands together nervously. It was none of his business what happened to that bastard Kirie but ... fuck ... he was a kid! He was seventeen years old! Currently, if still alive, he must have been no more than twenty. "Can you verify what happened to that pet?"

"After the reforms, almost all the Alitas were taken over by Tanagura's jurisdiction and transferred to facilities for the mentally ill," Cal explained. "Do you want me to look up what clinic he's staying at?"

"Yes, please!"

"It'll take me a few days. There were so many Alitas at both Midas and Tanagura and I have to compare thousands of records."

"I'm in no hurry. Thanks Cal, really. I owe you one!"

Riki walked out of the black market offices and made his way towards the motorcycle, with a million thoughts running through head. Daryl had helped him escape from Eos and for that he had been eliminated ... was that really what happened?

Indeed, the punishment he had been given for escaping had been too light, considering the extent of the violation, and Iason even released him afterwards. Was it because Daryl had been held primarily responsible and punished instead of Riki himself? But why would he do that? Perhaps in honor of their shared origins? The final act of rebellion by a proud slumdog tamed only in appearance?

And yet, incredible as it was, it would explain everything: why the doors of Eos had magically opened, why Daryl was gone, why his presence had been removed from the records, why Iason didn't want to talk about it.

That's what happened. By now, Riki was sure of it.

And then there was the problem of Kirie. What was he supposed to do about respect once he got his current position?

Riki did not go home. He drove at the highest speed limit to the ruins of Dana Burn. He got out of the vehicle and vented his frustration. He screamed, he ran, he cried. He threw himself on the ground and hit the sandy surface with his fists. Riki leaned against an iron pillar and remained motionless, contemplating the horizon. It was not until later in the evening that he climbed back onto his motorcycle and took the road to New Ceres.

They met at the doorway, while Iason was leaving the house, Riki was making his way in. "Riki! I've been worried sick about you. Are you okay?" the Blondie asked. He wasn't lying, his eyes reflected genuine concern.

"Mh mh ..." Riki nodded coldly, not looking him.

Iason was buffled by his lover's detached attitude. "Your phone was off. I was just leaving to look for you," he explained, "and then I was planning to go to Raoul's. Guy is still missing and he's upset. I thought you and he might be together."

Riki had forgotten about Raoul's phone call that afternoon. "He's not back yet? I'm sorry, I ... haven't seen him ..." he murmured.

"Riki ... is everything okay? Do you have anything to tell me?" The Blondie reached out and gently stroked Riki's arms but Riki didn't respond to the caress. He remained rigid and aloof and avoided his lover's gaze. He didn't want Iason's closeness at that moment.

"It's nothing, I'm just tired. I want to go to sleep," he explained. "Let me know about Guy."

Without adding anything else, he walked into the house and closed the door behind him. He went to sleep in the guest room instead of his own, hoping that Iason wouldn't come to look for him. And he was in luck. Riki fell into a deep slumber, restless and dreamless, accompanied only by the ghosts from his past.

**END OF LIVING FREE FROM JUPITER'S LAW**


	19. In the Onyx lair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: this chapter contains violence graphic descriptions  
> Language corrections by [nek0zawakun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nek0zawakun/)

**SECOND PART: GUY'S KIDNAPPING**

Cold. It was the first sensation Guy experienced. An icy chill penetrated through his skin into the bones, numbing every muscle in his body.

Pain. His limbs, his bowels, his joints, his head ... everything ached. Every inch of his body was either throbbing or sore.

Darkness. He opened his eyes but what they saw was not different from the shadow that accompanied his sleep.

Damp. The hard surface he was lying on was icy cold and moist. An intense musty smell permeated the room, and his entire skin seemed to have accumulated a water layer. The only sound he could hear clearly was that of drops falling in the distance with a regular cadence, giving an impression that he was in a cave.

He was naked, someone had stripped him of all his clothes. Guy tried to remember the unfortunate series of events that led him to that situation.

_He had parked in the basement of Jupiter Tower, walked to the elevator door, pushed the button and waited. The numbers that marked the location of the cabin on the various floors quickly lit up: 67 - 66 - 65 ..._

_The last number Guy remembered seeing clearly was 14. Then someone grabbed him from behind and forced a cloth soaked in a strong smelling substance over his nose and mouth. He tried to hold his breath but, after the first minute of apnea, he had to give in. With an exasperated spasm he inhaled the vapour, as unknown as menacing, and every light went out._

Shuddering, he sat down. "Hey! Who are you? What do you want from me?" he shouted ... or rather, he thought he was shouting because what came out of his throat was little more than a chirp that burned his vocal cords. He tried again and again until his voice returned, but no one granted him an answer. Whoever had brought him to that place was away. There was no one, but him in that dark cave.

He stood up and tried to walk, but after the first step he fell flat on his face, hitting the floor hard. The thud was accompanied by a metallic clink. In horror, he realized that his ankle was bound to the ground by a metal chain. He traced it with his fingers: the chain was less than a meter long.

He tried to break or unhook it, but he was unsuccessful. When Guy tried to take his foot out of the heavy metal ring, the only result he got was scraping of his skin.

Guy took refuge in his thoughts looking for a valid justification for the situation he was in and the only thing that came to his mind was that he had been kidnapped. Perhaps, an enemy of Raoul's or some desperate cast-off hoping to get a large ransom through him. That possibility reassured him a little: Raoul would be able to resolve any money question without his fortune being affected in the least. Clinging to that hope and staying on his feet because the mere idea of laying his bare skin on the icy floor again made him shiver, Guy waited.

***

Riki was awakened by the sound of knuckles gently knocking on the door. Surely it wasn't Iason, because his Blondie wouldn't bother knocking: he would just enter. "Yes, come in!"

Jenny walked in. "Little Riki, did you sleep in your clothes?" The mongrel woman opened the window to let some light in and sat on the edge of the bed where Riki was crinkling his eyes.

"Yes mama Jenny, I was very tired yesterday," the young man replied as he sat up. "What time is it?"

"Almost 11 am. I was beginning to worry about your health, son," the woman replied. Riki had slept for more than 13 hours straight. "Tell me, did you and your big blond boy have a fight yesterday?"

"No. Not at all, at least ... why do you ask?"

"Because you're in the guest room and your Blondie apparently didn't come home last night."

"Iason didn't come home?"

"No dear, his bed is untouched and he doesn't strike me as the kind of person who rearranges the covers before going out."

Riki started feeling seriously worried. He had other things on his mind the day before and hadn't given much thought to the matter of Guy but, if Iason hadn't returned, perhaps something serious had indeed happened to him. He took the communicator from the bedside table, turned it on and dialed his lover's number.

\- Riki! I tried to call you several times this morning! - The Blondie exclaimed impatiently.

\- Sorry, I just woke up a few minutes ago. Is Guy back? -

\- No, nothing new. I didn't feel like leaving Raoul alone yesterday and I'm sorry I didn't come back to accompany you tonight. You seemed upset. -

\- You were right to stay with him. Do you want me to join you? Maybe I can help... -

\- Yes, love, I was going to ask you, but first eat something and take a shower. -

\- Okay. See you later... -

While Riki was getting ready, he made a few phone calls to his former bandmates: none of them had seen or spoken to Guy recently.

Riki was a natural leader, and he didn't hesitate to give precise instructions: stay alert, look for him, ask around. If Guy was anywhere in Ceres, they would find him.

As soon as he was ready, he got on the bike and set off for Raoul's house.

***

How much time has passed since his awakening? Probably, hours. Guy had been standing the whole time, occasionally taking small steps back and forth or bending his knees to keep his muscles from atrophying. He was tired and the soles of his feet were frozen; every now and then he would rub them against the opposite ankle seeking some warmth. The only audible sound was that of the slow, mysterious dripping.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he managed to distinguish between shapes: he found himself in a room with rough stone walls and floor, without windows. Judging by the humidity, probably underground. A short distance away there was a table with a chair and, further away, something that resembled a cot. Jupiter, how he wished to reach it! The chain nailing him to the floor, however, was too short to do anything but stand up to avoid freezing.

Similar chains were scattered all over the place: anchored to the floor, the walls, the ceiling and even on the table top and the bunk. Instruments of torture were hanging from one of the walls: whips, hooks, awls, knives, a hatchet, sticks, belts, hammers of various sizes, iron stakes of the kind used to brand livestock. Guy looked away because seeing them made his stomach turn.

On the opposite side from the bunk was a heavy metal door. In one corner was a grate that was probably used to drain liquids to the sewer system.

Suddenly, the sound of a key turning in the keyhole echoed in the chamber. With a racing heart, Guy prepared to meet his captor.

Saurus entered the room and eyed the human standing in front of him from head to toe and proceeded to loudly shut the door. "Good morning Guy, I see you finally woke up."

"W-who a-are you?" Guy's voice was barely audible and his chattering teeth prevented him from articulating well.

"Don't you recognize me?" The captain of Jupiter's guards pushed a switch and a neon white light illuminated the room. He approached the man until he was right in front of him.

It took Guy a few seconds to adjust his eyes to the light. "You ... you are the O-Onyx of J-Jupiter."

"You will address me as Master Saurus from now on."

The usual Guy would have hotly disavowed that statement but, considering the precariousness of his situation, he thought it would be best to keep silent. "W-what d-do you want f-from me?" he asked instead.

"I don't want anything from you Guy, what I wanted I already got. I wanted to see you exactly where you are now, though I won't deny that I have a rather unpleasant agenda in store for you. You need to make amends, Guy, and learn where you belong.

Apparently, living as the pampered human of a Blondie has made you mounted up: you are nothing but unclean scum to me. Soon you will learn that the only way a worm like you should approach an Elite of my load is by crawling on the floor."

The man gathered what strength he had, filled his dry mouth with saliva, and spat forcefully in the Onyx's direction, hitting his cheek. Saurus smiled, wiped himself clean with the sleeve of his uniform and gave him a wickedly interested look. "I really think I'm going to have fun with you, Guy."

***

"When was the last time you saw him? What did he say to you?" Raoul asked Riki tersely after he entered the house and Benson had invited him to take a seat at the living room table, where the two Blondies were already standing.

"I saw him three days ago but he didn't tell me anything relevant. Raoul, I really have no idea where he might have gone. I've mobilized the Ceres guys, who are checking all the places he used to hang out and spreading the word among his acquaintances. Could it be that you've pissed him off?"

Raoul, was so upset that he couldn't even respond to Riki in a kind manner. "We didn't have a fight. He called me yesterday morning and said he was coming to Jupiter Tower to have lunch together but then he never came. That's all!"

"Shit," Riki cursed, "what a shame we didn't have one of those locator things you used to put on those fucking pet rings."

Raoul sent Iason a questioning look and Lord Mink nodded. Then, the biochemist continued talking."Actually, Guy had a tracer ... he had two to be more precise, but they didn't yield any relevant results."

"What, Guy let you put a tracer on him?" Riki exclaimed in disbelief.

"He didn't need to know about them, they were just for emergency situations," Iason interjected.

Riki looked at both androids shocked; unsure of how to react to the new information, that despite all the strides they'd made in recent years, the Blondies' control freakiness was to such an extent that Raoul couldn't help but brand Guy with one ... no, two pet rings as if he owned him.

"Iason, did you also hide a tracker on me?" Riki asked, swallowing his own irritation.

"Possibly," the Blondie replied apathetically.

Riki breathed deeply, repeating the usual exercise of counting to ten internally, so as not to burst out. This was no time to lose his cool.

"What do you mean Guy's trackers didn't yield any relevant results?"

"There were two tracking chips: one installed on his personal communicator and the second on the motorcycle. The bike was found in a dumpster near the Main Gate while the communicator was in a garbage can around the borders of Neal Darts."

Riki started to get extremely concerned. "Guy would never abandon his bike in a dump, something serious must have happened to him!" he exclaimed.

Iason gave Riki a reproachful look. Raoul was already anxious enough and didn't need someone to make the situation even more tragic than it already was. Iason understood his brother's state of mind well, because he had experienced a similar situation when Riki had been kidnapped two years earlier.

To make up for it, the mongrel tried to analyze the situation objectively. "We need to narrow it down!" he said, "Guy was home yesterday morning, and he was supposed to have lunch with you at Jupiter Tower. Right Raoul?"

Lord Am nodded.

"Okay, so we have to assume that something happened to him on the way between here and the tower. Is there a network of street cameras in Midas and Tanagura?"

Raoul regained lucidity. "Yes Riki, the roads are constantly monitored but to request the surveillance tapes there are standard bureaucratic procedures and timelines. They are in the hands of the respective police districts."

"Of course, if we acted in the light we would have to apply for authorization, but there are faster ways to play the system ... right Iason?"

Lord Mink smiled, slipped the phone out of his tunic pocket, and dialed a number.

\- Katze? We need your hacking skills ... -

***

Saurus punched Guy in the pit of the stomach so hard that he curled up on the floor, gasping and coughing. 'Shit, he's stronger than I thought,' the mongrel thought as he desperately tried to breathe, clutching onto his insides with his arm.

The Onyx looked at the slimy, pathetic, naked figure crumpled before him and was seized by a sudden curiosity. His interest, which until now had been purely focused on revenge, began to turn into something more concrete. In his circuits, the idea that perhaps he could use Guy's body to understand what was so bewitching about that low and abominable human practice that had corrupted some of his fellows and apparently even Jupiter itself: sex.

Although he felt no physical attraction to Guy - the mongrel was nothing more than a deplorable, mutilated human being - using him for sexual purposes would have its advantages: there were no witnesses, he didn't have to worry about not harming him, no one would ever know, and Guy wouldn't live to tell about it. The Onyx decided to postpone his agenda of getting even and killing Guy in slow and painful way; instead he was going to use him to his advantage. The Onyx wrapped Guy's hair around his fist and forced the man to stand up.

"Tell me, Guy, do you want to live?"

The mongrel forced himself to nod, still panting.

"I am pleased to hear that, for I am about to offer you a chance to improve your situation. I am going to ask you to do certain things for me. Whenever you obey me I will grant you a wish within reason. When you rebel, I will take something away from you. Of course, this will not exempt you from proceeding with the agenda I have in store for you, but I may decide to do it slower and extend your life cycle."

Guy gasped ... what did that monster want from him?

"Get on your knees! I want to try your mouth." Saurus let go of his hair causing him to fall to the ground. Guy raised his head and looked at him with hate-filled eyes.

"Ooooh, that's an interesting expression, human. You know, many individuals do the same thing: they look at you like this at first but then, after a few lashes or a couple of nights chained in the cold, they beg for mercy and crawl like lizards.

Think of all the things you could achieve by obeying! What would you like Guy? Hot food? Water? A blanket? A longer chain? Sleep on the cot? Clothes? Shoes? Getting all these things will depend only on your good behavior."

Guy closed his eyes tightly trying to contain his anger and keep the tears from falling. He knelt down as requested. Saurus opened the buttons of his uniform pants and pulled out his genital organ.

'The pervert is already erect and his cock is even bigger than Raoul's,' Guy noted miserably. Humiliated, he grabbed it with his hand and began to lick it.

Saurus watched his movements with an indefinite expression. A mixture of disgust and interest. "Open your mouth," he intimated. "That's how it works, isn't it? I have to put it all inside your oral cavity."

Guy stopped licking for a moment. "How do you think I can take it all in my mouth? Your cock is almost as monstrous as your face!"

The Onyx's fist connected hard with Guy's face, causing his nose to bleed. A purple, swollen bruise immediately formed on his cheekbone.

"What were you saying, Guy?"

The mongrel opened his mouth as wide as he could trying his best to accommodate the member, outsized in both length and girth, and helping himself with his hand, Guy started to suck. The sooner he finished, the better.

Saurus tried to concentrate and analyze the new sensations Guy's mouth was giving him. It was obviously pure scientific interest.

After a few minutes though he had to admit that it was quite a pleasant sensation, he pulled Guy towards himself by pushing him from the back of his head and moved his hips forward to go deeper. Guy felt his throat fill and had to fight the urge to vomit. For the first time in his long life, Saurus felt the shivers of carnal pleasure.

"Mmmh I'm beginning to understand why the dandy Blondie decided to take you into his custody, human. What you are doing is quite fascinating. Maybe that pathetically smeared scientist has a little bit of a brain after all."

Upon hearing him speak of Raoul in such a manner, Guy had a temper tantrum. Without thinking, he clamped his teeth down hard on the hot, throbbing shaft between his lips.

Saurus cried out and immediately levered his hands over Guy's clenched jaw trying to open it, before violently kicking the mongrel into the air as far as the short chain would allow. Two sets of small dark dots appeared on Saurus' aroused member as it was about to ejaculate; Guy's teeth marks.

It took the Onyx several minutes to recover from the pain. Panting, he released his prisoner's foot from the anklet and dragged him toward the wall, where a large metal ring was anchored. He closed it around the mongrel's neck. Guy found himself chained to the wall without a chance of moving, standing with his belly against the icy stone.

"You know Guy," the Onyx said, savoring every word. "I had fun designing these special restraints for you. Normally we chain recalcitrant humans like you by the wrists but, in your case, I had to invent alternative methods. I suggest you keep your legs stable or you will end up hanging."

With that said, he walked to the opposite wall to choose the most suitable torture instrument. 'Why not,' the android thought, 'we'll start with something classic.' He picked up a full-length whip.

"'Having granted you nothing yet, Guy, I have nothing to take from you, so for today I will punish your rebellious attitude with physical discipline. You will receive ten strokes, and consider yourself lucky because it could be many more."

Guy closed his eyes and Saurus lashed out the first blow. Between one and the other he let several seconds pass to allow his victim to dissipate the pain of the impact so that he can fully feel the next one. Stoically, Guy managed to endure the first two lashes in silence, but by the third he could no longer hold back his cries.

Saurus was an experienced torturer with great strength, and with a whip like that, he could have killed an inferior being like Guy very quickly, but that was not his purpose. He created a careful web of regular marks on his victim's back without hurting too deeply or hitting the same gash twice. He wanted to cause him pain, but he couldn't afford to cut the mongrel too deep, to the point where he would need to apply a suture to stop the bleeding. He needed Guy alive, for now. He didn't want to lose his new toy too soon.

After the tenth lash he let the human dangle for a while, enjoying his sobs and the shaking of his body. Blood was dripping from the wounds.

He looked around. His first carnal experience had been totally unsatisfactory and he felt the need to finish it, but he would not risk his virility again with the mouth of a man whose spirit was not completely broken yet. Besides, after the ten lashes, he doubted that Guy would be able to serve him properly.

Saurus freed him from the restraints, loaded him on one shoulder, and carried the man over to the heavy wooden table. He bent him over the table, with the soles of his feet resting on the floor and the heavy metal ring he placed on the table top just for this purpose, closed around his neck. Semi-conscious and in agony, Guy was filled with terror. In this way he was completely exposed and at the mercy of his tormentor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Saurus was once again unzipping his pants. In a state of panic Guy tried to tighten his buttocks and close his legs.

"W ... wait, "he shouted. "You're ... too big. You'll break me!"

Saurus ignored his pleas, opened Guy's buttocks with his fingers, forcing him to spread his thighs wider, and watched with interest the anal orifice. He knew that, in order to get the desired carnal pleasure, he would have to stick his organ in there. This was what he had seen pets do. Yet, seeing that hole so tight and closed, he couldn't help but wonder how it was physically possible to insert it. All he had to do was try. He took his newly erect member in his hand, aligned the tip with the opening and roughly pushed forward, penetrating the mongrel completely in one thrust.

Guy let out an agonizing cry. He was obviously not a virgin. A few men had been inside him including Raoul, who was very gifted sexually. But it had happened only a few times, as they normally preferred the reversed roles, and always with careful preparation and lubrication beforehand. Besides, his Blondie's manhood was not as big as the Onyx's. Guy felt like his sphincter was literally tearing apart.

Saurus lay still for a while, enjoying the feeling of Guy's warm insides squeezing him so pleasantly. Then, just as he had seen during pet mating parties, he began to move back and forth, pushing hard into the human's bottom. Guy started to scream uncontrollably, and the Onyx couldn't understand why the mongrel was reacting this way: anally penetrated pets usually moaned with pleasure, not with pain. Perhaps it was different for mongrels? Was their body not equally suitable for mating as that of humans recreated in a laboratory for sexual purposes?

Drunk on new sensations, the Elite stopped worrying about Guy's incomprehensible behavior and focused only on thrusting and withdrawing, fully concentrating on his own pleasure. His gaze fixed on the captive's wounded back. Suddenly, he felt something shift inside him. An intense, urgent need forced him to move faster, until pleasure washed over his entire body. Saurus let out a guttural cry and had to hold onto the surface of the table to keep himself from collapsing on Guy's wounded back.

An ... orgasm? That had been ... an orgasm? It took the Onyx several minutes to recover. It had been the most intense experience of his life. He would not believe the possibility of such a powerful and ecstatic energy passing through his body from the simple friction of his sexual organ inside the anal cavity of another living being. He felt new and different. Invigorated and exhausted at the same time.

Guy had stopped screaming and now lay with his head turned sideways against the rough surface of the wood. His open, expressionless eyes rippled with tears. Saurus slipped out of him and reassembled his clothing. He noticed some blood smearing Guy's buttocks and running down his thighs. Saurus was unsure if it came from penetration or, less likely, from the gashes of the whip. Either way, it was none of his business. Guy wasn't going to die because of it.

What he had to deal with at the moment, was preventing the cuts from getting infected and ensuring that they healed quickly. He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a bottle in one hand and a box in the other. He walked over to the table and positioned himself in a spot where he was sure the human could see him.

"There are two ways to disinfect and promote the healing of your wounds, Guy, one pain-free ..." he moved the bottle of antiseptic in his right hand "... and the other extremely painful," he swung the carton box in his other hand. "Which one I will use will depend only on your attitude. Which will you choose?"

Guy gritted his teeth, stared at the Onyx with a flash of defiance in his gaze, and smiled hysterically."F U C K Y O U," he pronounced, clearly punctuating each syllable.

Saurus, without externalizing any kind of emotion, poured the entire contents of the box on Guy's back making him scream and gasp in agonizing pain. It was fine table salt. After that he left, slamming the heavy metal door and leaving the mongrel chained in that position.

Guy cried and struggled for a long time, looking for some kind of relief from the throbbing and burning that was ripping through all his senses. Eventually, after a long while, he managed to escape the pain by falling into the arms of Morpheus.


	20. Rebirth of the Bison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by [nek0zawakun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nek0zawakun/)

Raoul hadn't been able to sleep. He was up the whole night, pacing the house with the communicator in his pocket, but Katze's longed-for phone call still hadn't reached him.

Iason and Riki had stayed there to keep him company. Benson had prepared the guest room for them, but they didn't get much sleep either.

Iason had repeatedly tried to convince Raoul to lie down and get some rest, promising that he would check the phone himself and let him know if there were any news, but the voice of reason did not reach his brother.

Riki, on the other hand, had his head flooded with thoughts: Guy, Daryl, and Kirie swirled around in his dreams. Knowing that Iason had first got rid of Daryl for aiding his escape, and then had Kirie turned (surely with Raoul's assistance) into an empty shell, tormented him. He loathed both Iason and Raoul but, at the same time, he couldn't let it show. It wasn't right the time. There were other priorities and not knowing where Guy had been taken, if he was still alive or okay, didn't give him peace of mind.

Around 5 a.m., Iason managed to convince Raoul to sit next to him on the couch, where Raoul eventually dozed off with his head resting on his brother's shoulder, which remained in that position so as not to wake him up. A couple of hours later, Riki joined them crinkling his eyes.

"Any news?" He asked in a low voice. Iason merely shook his head and Riki sat down beside them.

The two Blondies and the obsidian-haired mongrel spent the early hours of the morning this way, just sleeping on the sofa and waiting for news. Riki remained a little aside, with his head resting on the armrest opposite that of the androids.

The ringing of the communicator made them jump. Raoul immediately became alert and answered Katze's call.

\- So? What did you find out? -

\- Guy reached and passed the Main Gate at 12:15 am, Midas surveillance video confirms this. -

\- And then? -

\- Cal is still working on the Tanagura recordings, which have more advanced protection software. I'm sorry Raoul, but it will take a little more time. I'll contact you as soon as we have more news. -

\- Thank you, Katze. -

The Blondie was about to break off the communication, but Katze called him back: - Raoul wait! I know this is a difficult time for you and I'm sorry I can't be by your side. If I was no longer needed here, I would be there with you. -

\- I know, Katze. Thank you for your help. -

Raoul pushed the off button. Riki hung on his every word. "What did he tell you?" he asked impatiently.

"At 12:15 he passed the Main Gate. That's all they found out so far. They're working on the Tanagura tapes."

Riki leaned on the back of the sofa and tried to concentrate. After a few minutes, he came up with a detail that so far no one had given much thought to. "Raoul, you said Guy's communicator was found near one of Neal Darts' entrances, right?"

"Yes Riki, that's right," the Blondie confirmed.

"What if Guy was taken in there? We could search that area in the meantime!"

"I've already thought about it, but the area is very large and we don't have enough evidence to warrant an official investigation into the dark quarters."

"Okay, but I could go there with the Bisons and ask around!" The mongrel insisted.

"The Bisons? You mean the gang you and Guy were part of?"

"Yeah! I'm sure they'll have no objection to getting together to help Guy!"

Iason, who had remained silent up until then, intervened with a contrite tone. "The Neal Darts area is too dangerous, Riki. I won't allow you to investigate there. Something might happen to you."

"Oh come on, Iason! Do you have a better idea by any chance? Every minute could make a difference for Guy, we can't just sit here and do nothing. We'll always stay in pairs and bring satellite communicators equipped with an alarm button. And we'll be armed! I won't get in trouble, give me some credit! "

Iason was absolutely opposed to the idea of Riki investigating a kidnapping case in a dangerous place like Neal Darts, that is, a maze of illegally constructed buildings that housed psychopaths, perverts, and criminals, but his insistence and the flash of hope in Raoul's eyes while hearing that they would do something concrete, pushed him to agree.

"All right, Riki, but stay out of trouble. Just go and investigate, move with caution and if you discover something, notify me or Raoul immediately. No dangerous initiatives!"

"Done!" Riki returned to the guest room to call his former gangmates.

***

Guy was awakened by the sound of the key turning in the lock. He had spent a terrifying night or day, maybe both, in which the cold and the burning had merged bringing him to a continuous delirium interrupted only by brief tormented dreams. Guy felt that his entire body was frozen, numb, aching, and unresponsive.

He opened his eyes and was instantly blinded by the newly lit light. Guy had no strength to lift his head and look in the direction of his jailer, whose heavy boots were pounding against the stone floor.

His back was still throbbing but there was no more of that intolerable pain he had for many hours. The humidity of the room had melted the salt, turning it into a liquid, splattered on the surface of the table. A thin layer of salt remained on his already coagulated wounds.

The Onyx looked indifferently at the motionless human bent over the table. His legs were smeared with blood, sperm, and faeces. A pool of urine had accumulated beneath his feet.

As repulsive as that situation might be at first glance, especially to the eyes of an Elite, Saurus was quite used to it. He was a guard and cleaning up the dirt, excrements and other body fluids of prisoners undergoing torture or long detentions was part of his duties, although it was usually his subordinates who took care of it.

A small faucet was situated in the lower part of the wall, where the discipline instruments were hung. Saurus filled a bucket with water and dipped a cloth in it. Then, in an absolutely impersonal way, he started cleaning up his prisoner.

With the damp cloth, he wiped away the remaining salt and dried blood residue from Guy's back and cleaned his legs. He spread his buttocks with his fingers to check the condition of the anus, which was reddened, with the presence of small, partially healed lacerations and lumps of feces. He used the same rag to remove them causing Guy to groan in pain as the rough cloth rubbed his torn flesh.

The water in the bucket soon became turbid; Saurus threw it into the drain and went to refill it. He placed a saddlebag on the table and took out a jar containing a cream normally used to quickly heal the prisoners' wounds so that they could be subjected to new interrogations in a short periods time. A kind of antibiotic cicatrizant. With a small spatula, he first applied a generous amount on the whip cuts and then dipped two fingers into the jar and ungainly inserted them inside Guy's sphincter. Once again, the man couldn't hold back a groan.

He put the jar back inside the bag and pulled out a syringe containing a drug designed to prevent hypothermia, stopping the heart or freezing the extremities, and injected it directly into Guy's jugular vein. It was the second time he administered him that drug, but the mongrel wasn't aware of the first one because he was still under the effects of chloroform.

Having done so, the Onyx turned a key in the lock to open the metal collar, lifted the mongrel's body and dropped it on the chair next to the table. When his bottom touched the hard surface of the chair and his wounds connected with the backboard, Guy screamed in pain which helped him to recover a little from his torpor. His muscles were stiff from being chained in an uncomfortable position for so many hours. He was shivering and his lips were blue and chapped.

Saurus rinsed out the cloth and roughly wiped it over Guy's face, arm, and chest, which were stained from the tears that had mixed with the dirt of the table, floor, and wall, soiling his skin. A blue bruise projected on his left cheekbone.

He threw the water from the bucket onto the floor at the urine puddle and pushed all the liquids towards the grating to drain out. Finally, he wiped the blood and salt from the tabletop using the same cloth.

When these tedious practical tasks were over, the Onyx placed a thermos and a bowl with a spoon on the table. "Drink and eat!" He ordered.

Guy opened his eyes and took longer than a few seconds to realize what Saurus was referring to. He wasn't interested in the food but he desperately needed a drink. He hadn't consumed any liquids since the morning of the seizure and had no idea how long it had been, but possibly more than a day, maybe two.

He extended his trembling arm and grabbed the thermos, which slipped out of his hand. When he succeeded in closing his fist firmly around the neck of the bottle, Guy squeezed it between his knees to keep it steady while he unscrewed the cork. He brought it to his lips and drank every last drop. It was a liter of a hot and tasteless liquid, maybe an herbal infusion. Guy felt lousy but had to admit that the tea had undoubtedly made him feel a little better. The burning in his parched throat subsided and the warmth from his stomach began to spread to the rest of his body.

With a clearer mind and more responsive muscles, he turned his attention to the bowl, which contained some sort of slimy white pudding. He scooped some up with the spoon and brought it closer to his nose, trying to understand from the smell what it could be.

"It's a protein oatmeal, it will cover your energy needs for 24 hours and help your body recover. I suggest you eat it, Guy, that's all you'll get for today," said the Onyx, who was silently watching from a short distance away.

Without turning his eyes to him, Guy began to eat the sweetish, stodgy food, and once he finished, he placed the spoon back into the bowl.

"I notice that your attitude has clearly improved. Did the night bring you wisdom?" The Elite asked with a note of irony.

"I want a blanket and to sleep on the cot," the man confessed in a direct way, looking straight ahead.

"Two requests? You're daring. The rule is one a day. Since you didn't get anything yesterday though, I might be generous. Everything will depend on your good behavior today starting this instant: have you already forgotten how you must address me?"

Guy felt his blood boil as he spoke the words, "Master Saurus."

The Onyx smiled triumphantly. "That's right, slumdog. It's amazing how a few strokes and a night chained in the cold can bend even the most stubborn spirits, isn't it?"

Guy felt deeply humiliated and again his eyes filled with tears; he closed his eyelids to hold them back and keep them from spilling out of them. He didn't want to give the Onyx the satisfaction of seeing him cry. The truth was, however, that he couldn't take it anymore: the cold and the pain were driving him crazy and with further acts of rebellion, he wouldn't have achieved anything good. He had therefore decided to cooperate: perhaps by doing so, he would be able to buy some time while he devised an escape plan.

"Sit on the floor and touch yourself, I want to see you come," Saurus ordered dryly.

Guy thought for a moment that he misheard. "W...what?"

"Do you want the things you asked for or not? Obey without question."

The mongrel was tempted to rebel again and scream in Saurus's face that he was a goddamn pervert, but Guy wasn't able to take another 24 hours on the floor without a fragment of comfort in that cold room. He did as ordered: he slid to the floor shivering when his buttocks touched the stone and, with his eyes closed, began to touch himself. Saurus was standing in front of him.

"Open your eyes!" He intimated. "You must look at me while you do this. And spread your legs wider or I won't be able to see."

Reluctantly Guy followed the instructions, trying to hide the anger and self-loathing he felt at that moment. It was awful to be forced to stare your captor in the eye during an act as private as masturbation.

Saurus never had pets because he considered them a waste of time and an unnecessary distraction. He always focused only on his work and the few times he had attended a pet party, had done so without much involvement and in a somewhat bored way.

At that moment, however, seeing that insolent slumdog perform for him, he felt incredibly aroused and began to absent-mindedly touch his crotch, intrigued by the idea of repeating the experience of the day before.

Guy struggled because the environment was absolutely unsuitable for that purpose; the threatening presence of the Onyx, the pain, the cold, and the fear were all factors that didn't help him to concentrate. It took the mongrel much longer than it normally would.

Eventually, tired and in pain, he managed to ejaculate with a hissing sigh and a small spasm. A few seconds later he felt himself being lifted and bent over the table again.

"Wait!" He shouted. "Please don't!!!"

Saurus, who was already stroking the cleft between Guy's buttocks, paused for a moment. "I thought I made it clear that I would only grant your requests in exchange for total and unconditional obedience!" He objected irritably.

"Master Saurus, please! I am in too much pain. Give me a few days to recover! I can ... take you in my mouth in the meantime!"

The Onyx considered that option. He had spent the whole night thinking about the sensations experienced during anal penetration and was quivering with the desire to repeat it. At the same time, however, he was curious to repeat the oral session of the previous day, which had been interrupted so abruptly.

"Please Master Saurus!" The man pleaded. "I'll do a good job and keep my teeth straight!" Guy hated himself as he uttered such humiliating words but he would have done anything not to be penetrated again while his body was still hurting.

"Then do it!" The Onyx let go of his grip and Guy got off the table.

Saurus unzipped his pants and exposed his already erect member. Guy knew what he had to do. He knelt down and began to work with his lips, tongue, and throat hard, trying to take in as much of that outsized organ as he could. He had to do a good job because if he could get Saurus to prefer the mouth, maybe that pervert wouldn't fuck him in the ass again. It was a vain hope but the only one he had.

Saurus seemed to enjoy the service, judging by his facial expressions and the appreciative noises he made every so often. When he reached his climax, Guy quickly withdrew, letting his cum fall all over his face and hair.

It took Saurus a few minutes to fully enjoy the aftermath of that powerful orgasm, he then turned his attention to the human kneeling before him and waiting for new instructions. The image of Guy humiliated and with his face covered with his own seed seemed so poetic that he was glad he had given up taking him from behind. For the first time, he felt that Guy was totally in his power.

"Get up," he ordered and led him to the faucet. "Wash yourself!"

At that moment Guy realized that the slow drippind sound, that had driven him crazy the first day, was coming from right there. He executed the order and in addition to cleaning his face, belly and legs, Guy took advantage of the moment to take several sips of cool water.

When he finished, he was led to the bunk and his ankle was forced back into a chain anchored to the floor not far away. It was about two meters long, which allowed him to sit and lie down on the thin mattress, as well as stand up and take a few small steps all around.

Saurus left the room but came back quickly with a heavy, thick brown boiled wool blanket that he laid on the bed.

"In spite of the rules, I'm granting you two privileges today. This means that should you return to your rebellious attitude in the future, I will take them both away from you. Is that clear?"

Guy nodded, impatient for the Onyx to leave, so he could curl up under the warm blanket, but Saurus still didn't seem keen on leaving him alone. Unexpectedly, he sat down on the cot beside him.

"Do you know what is most precious to me, Guy?"

The mongrel didn't answer, not that his question really needed an answer.

"I'll tell you: the goodwill and trust of my Creator, and both of those things you took away from me! Ever since you put me in a bad light with Jupiter, its attitude towards me has changed. The Creator doesn't trust me, doesn't love me, and doesn't respect me anymore."

'It wasn't me who made you look bad, it was you who tried to strangle me in the elevator,' Guy wanted to protest, but he remained silent. The way the Onyx was speaking had a sinister edge and the young man felt his skin crawl.

"I've thought for a long time what I could take away from you that would be equally precious. What's the most important thing to a mongrel, I asked myself. Several possibilities came to mind: your manhood? Your physical appearance? Your ability to see, hear, or speak? Your friends, maybe that dark-haired former pet? Your Blondie? But that was out of reach even for me. Eventually, I had an epiphany and everything became perfectly clear. What's the most precious thing for a man who lost an arm? But that's logical, the other arm!"

Before Guy had a chance to process what he just heard, Saurus pulled a syringe from his uniform pocket and injected the burning liquid into the right shoulder of a terrified and suddenly hysterical Guy.

***

The communicator rang, causing Creek woke up suddenly. He tried to free his arm from the octopus-like grip of Mike, that had fallen asleep on him and reached out for the electronic device on the nightstand. He answered the call without even checking the name on the screen.

\- Yes? -

\- Creek? It's Sid. I'm at your house but Aylin told me you were out. -

\- Yeah, I'm at a friend's place. Is there a problem? -

\- Likely. Riki asked to bring the Bison together to resolve an emergency situation and we're going to need all the help we can get. I thought you might want to join us. -

\- Fuck yeah, count on it! What happened? -

\- Guy's missing. Maybe he was kidnapped. -

\- I'll be right there. Will you wait for me at home? -

\- No. I'll meet you in half an hour in the warehouse behind Maxi's motorcycle parts store, where Guy's apartment used to be. -

\- OK, see you in a few minutes. -

Once the communication was closed, Mike who had woken up in the meantime, took the device from Creek's hands and put it on the bedside table.

"What's up elf? This phone call made you a little upset, I think."

Creek smiled. "That's the third time you've called me that! What do you mean?"

"I'll show you!" The mongrel, heedless of his nakedness, slid to the floor and rummaged through the books and magazines that were stacked in a corner. Eventually, he found a small hardcover tome with colorful designs. He climbed back into the bed and flipped through it until he found the page of his interest.

"Look, this is an elf," he said, as he showed a drawing of a woodland being. "They have slightly pointed ears, pale skin, thin slanted eyes, long hair, an androgynous appearance, a pure and noble character, they are also tall and immortal. That's you!"

Creek smiled again. "But I am neither pure nor immortal!" he said.

"Yes you are," Mike replied hugging him from behind and kissing the back of his head. "Is there a problem? Are you leaving?"

"Yes, a friend is in trouble. They're getting the Bison together and they invited me and Aylin too."

"I'm coming with you!" Mike asserted firmly, just before getting out of bed and retrieving his and Creek's clothes from the floor.

"Are you sure? It could be dangerous!"

"All the more reason to go with you!" Already half-dressed, he tossed the other man his shirt and underwear. Ten minutes later they were already on the street.

***

All the centaurs parked their bikes and gathered inside the building. Riki was waiting for them sitting on a box. Maxi and Norris arrived first, then Luke, followed by Sid and Aylin, last Creek and Mike. Riki looked at the latest arrival with suspicion.

"Who is he?" He asked Creek without preamble. It wasn't a pleasure reunion.

"His name is Mike. He's staying with me." The eunuch replied.

"You vouch for him?" The Bison boss was serious, dry, and authoritative.

"Completely," Creek answered without hesitation.

"Okay," Riki approached Mike and pointed a finger at him. "If Creek vouches for you, you're welcome to join the Bison. Those you see are your comrades. I'm Riki, I'm in charge here and no bullshit, is that clear?"

"Yes, it's all clear," the young man confirmed, trying not to appear intimidated, although internally he was actually very excited. The Bison and Riki the Dark were a legend in Ceres. To be there, to experience firsthand the rebirth of the legendary gang, was almost a surreal event.

"Okay guys, this is serious. Guy has been missing for over two days and we have a reason to believe that he has been kidnapped. We have no suspects yet, the only lead we have is the location: he may have been taken to Neal Darts.

We'll investigate that area in the morning. Our goal is to explore the area and ask questions. One bike for every two people, so as not to look too obvious. We'll split into four groups, keeping in the same pairs as you have arrived today. Me with Luke. We'll each have portable communicators with emergency buttons to stay in constant contact and weapons for self-defense. At the end of the day, we'll meet back here to debrief. No risky ventures and try to stay out of trouble. All clear? Any of you not feeling up to it?"

"All clear Riki," Aylin replied. "I'm in."

"Me too," Sid added. One by one all the Bisons confirmed their participation.

"Perfect, guys. We're off tomorrow morning at nine, meeting in front of the old exit for Mistral Park."

With nothing more to say, the eight members of the reborn Bison gang left the building.

***

Guy looked at the injected spot, feeling terrified, almost expecting his arm to start melting or crumbling at any moment, none of which happened. The Onyx stood up and went to sit in the chair, turning it so that he was face to face with the mongrel.

"What did you do to me?" Guy asked, trying to stay calm. Saurus' threatening words terrified him.

"You'll find out in a few minutes. You know, after coming to the conclusion that to get even I would need to take your remaining arm, I fantasized for a long time about how to do it. At first, I considered the classic methods, that is, tearing it or cutting it off, but I would need the assistance of a surgeon to stop the bleeding and stitch up the wound. You would also need a relatively long recovery period to help the stump heal, with all the complications that come with such a large wound, the risk of an infection is very high. I've decided to keep this between us and avoid any meddling of a doctor." Guy's heart was beating so fast, he felt it was about to spurt out of his chest.

"Afterwards," the Onyx continued, "I considered the idea of damaging your bones to make your limb function useless. To achieve this, I acquired hammers of various sizes to hit every bone to the right degree of intensity." Guy sent a panicked look at the discipline tools hanging on the wall, among which the hammers he had noticed the day before suddenly stood out. Saurus spoke again: "Even then there would have been some side effects to consider, including accidental damage to the other tissues besides bone. In addition, I would need to provide you with pain medication for at least the first week because otherwise, you wouldn't have been lucid enough."

The Onyx paused, fascinated by the terrified look oozing from Guy's glistening eyes.

"The perfect solution came to me a week ago. I was checking a shipment of ultra planetary imports when I accidentally stumbled upon a secret compartment that contained illegal experimental chemicals. After a thorough interrogation, the owner of the cargo finally confessed what the effects of those drugs were and it was exactly what I needed.

This serum causes permanent disruption of all neural connections in the limb where it is injected. Simply put, your arm will no longer be able to receive orders from your brain or sensory type input. To make it even simpler, your arm will become a useless, numb attachment on your body and you won't be able to move it."

Guy began to hyperventilate, tormented by an anxiety attack. The beating of his own heart and the sound of his breathing were so loud that they deafened him and turned everything else into an indefinite cloud. He tried to move his fingers, but they felt heavy and hard. 'No. No. No. Please. No.' He looked around lost and disoriented. What could he do?

"Please don't!!!" He pleaded "Please, I'll do anything you want! I need my arm!"

Saurus smiled with interest at the human's distressed reactions as he tried again to move his fingers, only succeeding in making them tremble slightly.

Realizing that he really couldn't move his arm anymore, Guy's pupils dilated as he turned them towards the android. In his heart, he hoped it was just a cruel joke; that what he had been injected with was only a local anesthetic, the kind used for minor operations and the effects of which would disappear after a few hours. He hoped that Saurus only wanted to scare him and not make him an invalid for the rest of his life.

The Onyx approached him in satisfaction and lifted the limb to examine it. It was completely relaxed. He pinched it, but Guy did not have a slightest reaction. The serum had worked perfectly.

With that done, he prepared to leave. He stood up and casually slipped on his jacket, which he had hung on a hook on the wall upon entering.

"I won't be back until tomorrow. Do you want me to help you cover up?" he asked almost disinterestedly.

Guy refused by shaking his head. He was desperate, disbelieving, and in shock, but as much as he couldn't move his one arm, he wasn't going to let his tormentor tuck him in.

"Use the bucket by the bed for your physiological needs," the Onyx warned before turning off the light and plunging the room into the darkness. Saurus stepped out, soundly closing the door behind him.

Guy tried to move his limb again, but he was unsuccessful. To escape the anguish, he tried to distract his mind by concentrating on the task of covering himself. After several attempts, he succeeded by holding one side of the blanket firmly between the big toe and index toe of both feet, and lifting it over his body with his teeth. After two years of being forced to do everything with one arm, he had learned to quickly find alternative solutions.

Fortunately, the blanket was big, thick, and warm, and soon the hypothermia dissipated. Guy tried to think only of the positive aspects of his situation: he was no longer cold, he had a bucket to pee in, a bed, he wasn't hungry or thirsty, his back and ass hurt less, and he hadn't been beaten or hurt that day.

He tried to ignore the fact that his only arm no longer worked, and he didn't know whether and if it would ever be operational again; that he was still kept captive by a ruthless android – an expert in torture, who enjoyed raping and humiliating him, and that he was chained and helpless in a dark, cold, and damp room located who knows where.

Looking for a happy place to indulge in, Guy imagined his Blondie reassuring him and telling him that everything was going to be alright. With that image warming his heart, he fell asleep, and a hint of a smile crept on his face.


	21. Guy's training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by [nek0zawakun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nek0zawakun/)

\- Raoul, we've finished checking the street footage of Tanagura. Guy entered the underground car parks of Jupiter Tower but never came out. -

\- What do you mean by that Katze? Could he still be in there? -

\- He could, just as he could have been taken out in another vehicle. We are trying to bypass the tower's security systems to figure out what might have happened in there. They're very well protected. I'm sorry, but it's taking longer than we initially thought. -

\- You're doing your best Katze. Thanks, I'm counting on you. -

\- We'll find him, Raoul. -

The Blondie didn't answer right away. He wasn't feeling optimistic at that moment. - See you soon, keep me updated, - he said after a few seconds and immediately cut off the communication.

Raoul covered his face with his hands. Guy had reached the tower but never come out on his own. Something must have happened to him inside the building. One of his Elite brothers was responsible for his disappearance. Who could it be? Who had the answer?

Jupiter! He needed to talk to his Creator!!!

***

The hours inside the cold cell seemed to go on forever.

Guy managed to get some sleep, but mostly he had been lying or sitting on the bunk while holding the woollen blanket tightly around his body with his neck, feet, teeth or knees. When he tried to stand up to take the few short steps his chain allowed, the cold floor chilled the soles of his feet.

Trying not to go mad, he kept his mind occupied: Riki, Guardian, the Bison, Katze, Raoul. The memories of his past had accompanied him and helped him not to wallow in despair. He even found himself remembering old nursery rhymes and humming songs he'd learned as a kid in Guardian, which he hadn't recalled since.

He tried not to dwell on the fact that his arm was no longer working, and that it was just a piece of dead flesh hanging from his shoulder. Otherwise that knowledge would have destroyed him.

It was difficult to keep track of time in the dark, ever-changing room, but Guy noticed that his jailer came to see him at about the same time every day, so when he heard the sound of the key turning in the metal keyhole, he was awake, lucid and sitting cross-legged on the bunk.

Taking advantage of the darkness, he sent the android a grim look, then momentarily squinted as the white neon light dazzled him. The Onyx closed the door, placed a few items on the table, and went to unlock his anklet.

"From now on, every time you see me walk in you will greet me properly. I want to hear you say: 'Welcome, Master Saurus'. Do you understand?" He stated coldly.

Guy bit his lower lip and refrained from answering.

"I didn't hear you, human, did I make myself clear?"

"You were so clear, MASTERSAURUS," the mongrel replied in a mechanical, defiant and aloof way.

The Captain of Jupiter's guards struck him hard across the face, where the skin was still purple from the backhand of two days ago. "I hope I have misinterpreted your tone, Guy, or instead of granting you a new privilege, today I'll have to take away the ones you already have. Are you that eager to spend another day on the cold floor?"

Guy licked the blood from his lips and swallowed what was in his mouth; he shook his head and lowered his gaze. That submissive attitude seemed to soothe Saurus' irritation.

"Go eat and leave the blanket on the bed," he ordered, after releasing Guy's foot.

The mongrel obeyed. He let the manta slip from his shoulders and went to sit in the chair in front of the table. There was a bowl full of the same mush as the day before - which, although it didn't taste very good, had really been remarkable: it had restored his strength and Guy hadn't felt the pangs of hunger until that moment. There he always saw the usual thermos, an apple and an egg in its shell.

Now the real problem was ... how was he supposed to eat them? There was no doubt that these foods had been offered to him on purpose to put him in a difficult position. The Onyx wanted Guy to ask him for help, but the latter had no intention of giving him this satisfaction. Aware of the hostile presence watching him with interest, he tried to concentrate only on what was in front of him. He lifted the thermos with his mouth, placed it between his knees to hold it in place and unscrewed it with his teeth. Guy rested it on the table top, placed his lips on the edge of the opening, and tilting it carefully he allowed all the warm contents to slide down his throat.

In a similar way he proceeded with the bowl, tilting it to allow the mush to fall into his mouth and, when there was little left, he cleaned the walls of the container with his tongue being careful not to get dirty.

The apple wasn't difficult: he took a bite directly from the table, pressing it against the wood so that it wouldn't roll. The egg, on the other hand, was more complicated: he tested its consistency with his cheek to see if it was cooked or raw. It was lukewarm, so cooked. With a sharp blow of his incisors he broke the shell and began to peel it with his teeth, spitting out the pieces of the shell directly into the bowl. In the end he ate it in a few bites.

When he finished, he heard the Onyx, who had been silent the whole time clearly enjoying the show, applaud him ironically. "Well done! I think I've seen other living beings feed the way you just did, too bad they didn't belong to the human race."

Guy ignored him. He felt proud of himself for being able to eat and drink everything without getting dirty or dropping anything on the table or the floor, and he wasn't going to take that provocation seriously.

Saurus' next request which Guy didn't have the courage to rebel against, was: "Lie with your face upwards on the bed!"

The mongrel reluctantly obeyed. The android sat down next to him and started touching him intimately. Unlike his higher-ranking Elite brothers, Onyxes didn't normally cover their hands with gloves, and Saurus in particular preferred to keep them free to get a better grip on weapons and discipline tools.

"It's a great pity you can no longer perform as you did yesterday, I suppose I'll have to help you with this task from now on. Tell me, Guy," he said appealingly, as he caressed his testicles causing him to get a hated as well as uncontrolled erection, "have you thought about your request today? What would you like as a reward for your good behavior?"

Guy groaned and gasped as the Elite brushed his shaft with his fingers. He didn't want to feel pleasure under the touch of his captor. He didn't want to show him that he was being dominated. But he just couldn't help himself.

"I ... I would like my shoes, the ones I was wearing ... and some clothes," he pronounced in a broken voice.

"Two requests again? You'll have to earn them. Do tell me ... how are you planning to wear your old clothes?"

"Aahaaa" young man groaned when the Onyx lightly grabbed his shaft with his hand, stroked the glans with his thumb and then resumed massaging it in both directions while with his other hand he alternately teased his anus and testicles.

"N ... not my old clothes," he managed to say. "Something that ... Ahaah ... is just to slip on, without buttons."

"It can be done but as I have already explained, you will have to earn your rewards. Starting from now: You will need to ask for my permission to finish and wait for my approval. Remember to address me as Master. From now on, you are forbidden to consume your pleasure without my prior approval. If you do so, it will be considered disobedience and will result in the consequences you know well."

"W ... what?" Guy wasn't sure he understood correctly. Should he have asked Saurus' permission to ejaculate? The need was starting to become compelling.

"Ahaaa I can't hold back anymore." Guy gritted his teeth and contracted his muscles trying to suppress the explosion. If he came without the Onyx's approval he would be punished! He would spend another 24 hours on the cold floor. The words escaped his mouth instinctively: "P ... please, Master Saurus, let me ... mmmnn ... cum."

Saurus smiled triumphantly. In time, Guy will be completely under his control.

"You may finish, pet," he agreed and, almost immediately, Guy burst with pleasure, arching his back and vocalizing the expulsion of his seed.

Only after doing that, he was overwhelmed by the realization of what had happened: he lost himself. He behaved like a filthy pet! He allowed his captor to control not only his body, but also his soul by calling him Master and begging for release.

Riki told him that it took Iason three months to start taming him. Guy, on the other hand, allowed himself to be bent in just three days! How could he have despised, insulted and even beaten his friend for letting himself be subjugated, when, in a similar situation, he had failed to show even a tenth of his tenacity?

Suddenly, he felt his legs being spread apart and his sphincter probed with interest. "No! Not yet, please!" He screamed.

"Are you still in pain Guy? I warn you that my patience is at its limit. Why should I have any sympathy for your misery?"

"T ... tomorrow! Please! I can ... take you in my mouth!"

"No, not open to discussion. You'll cooperate or I'll have to take you by force. You already know what will happen in the second scenario, don't you?"

Guy swallowed ... he couldn't lose the privileges he gained.

"O ... okay, I'll cooperate. Can you use something like ... a lubricant?"

Saurus wrinkled his eyes. "What is it?"

"It's like a gel that's meant to help you glide better ... or oil ... even the cooking one is fine. Please ... it will be more pleasant for you too!"

The Onyx considered the unusual request. Was it perhaps because of the lack of this 'lubricant' that the human had reacted with pain rather than pleasure during their first sexual intercourse? Saurus was a pragmatic and rational being. His job taught him how to deal with prisoners, and he knew that for their agreement to work properly, he had to clearly differentiate between the time of punishment and the time of obedience and rewards.

Guy was not only his prisoner but also his pet and, as such, sex was his duty. Whenever he would rebel he would receive a punishment, and when he would cooperate he would be rewarded. It was a foolproof and proven process of domestication. Punishment had to cause pain but an obligation did not, otherwise the whole system would fall.

"I will allow you to use your mouth," he finally declared. "But tomorrow I'll bring one of these 'lubricants'."

Guy sighed in relief. He waited for Onyx to stand in front of him and, trying to ignore the disgust he felt for himself at that moment, began to serve him with his tongue, lips and throat until his captor was brought to his release.

What happened next was very similar to the previous day: Saurus took him to the faucet to clean up, but instead of letting him wash, it was he himself who removed the sperm residue from Guy's body with the water jet. Saurus allowed him to drink before bringing the human back to the bunk and closing the restraint on the ankle. Then, he left the room and returned about an hour later with a duffel bag.

"Lie down in the prone position," he ordered.

Guy hesitated. What was he going to do to him now? Too frightened to ask, he did as he was ordered.

Saurus examined the marks left by the whip. All of them got better and none were deep enough to trigger concern. He took the jar of healing antibiotic ointment and applied it to the cuts. Saurus motioned for Guy to lift his pelvis and repeated the procedure by insert a good amount of ointment into his rectum. He then pulled a second item out of the bag.

"Do you think you'll be able to wear it?" He asked, revealing a long coffee-colored tunic made of rough fabric, with a wide collar and sleeves, and lacking any fastening system.

"T ... that's fine," Guy replied, sitting on the bed and expecting Saurus to leave the tunic for him to wear by himself later. However, unexpectedly, the android slipped the garment over the mongrel's head, inviting him to stand up to inspect the final product.

"It will do," he said after adjusting it on Guy and slipping his arm into the sleeve. The tunic was long enough to cover Guy almost to his feet. "I'll take it off myself when I come back to see you, just try not to get it wet when doing your physiological needs."

Finally he revealed the last item in the duffel bag: Guy's old shoes, the ones with the special elastic laces that Raoul had given him at the beginning of their relationship. He left them on the floor. Guy was still standing in front of him, looking down, his face flushed with shame.

"Keep up the good behavior, Guy, and you'll reap nothing but benefits. In time I may even decide to take you upstairs. There's a much more comfortable room than this you know? Warm and dry, with your own bathroom, a comfortable bed, and no chains. Wouldn't you like that?"

Guy nodded, just wanting him to go. Saurus, however, didn't seem keen on leaving him. He loosened the rubber band that tied his hair, letting it fall back over his shoulders.

"You shouldn't keep your hair tied up, it looks so much better that way. But it's dirty and such degradation doesn't suit an Elite's pet. I'll wash and brush it for you tomorrow."

The man did not reply. 'Please go away,' he thought, 'leave me alone, stop humiliating me.'

A tear fell from Guy's eyes and Saurus caught it with the backs of his fingers and, lifting his chin, forced the mongrel to look at him.

"You no longer have to fear me, Guy, you will be treated well as long as you obey me. We are even now and I no longer hold a grudge against you. I'm your Master and as such your health and well-being are my priority. I'll be your arms and never make you miss anything. "

Guy's entire body shrank as he felt Saurus' mouth settle on his. This was too intimate, too humiliating. However, fearing the punishment, Guy parted his lips without pushing him away.

He could agree to engage in sexual acts in order to survive - that was no different from when, for lack of anything else, he sold his body in Ceres for food or other goods - but to accept being kissed, to address his captor as Master or to beg for release, that was shameful.

Why could he no longer rebel? When did he become so weak? What did the Onyx do to him to subdue and make him docile in such a short time? Three days ... it has only been three days!

Three days were enough for Guy to give up his soul as a proud mongrel and member of the Bison in exchange for a blanket, a bed, a dress, food, and a pair of shoes. He didn't deserve to look Riki, Raoul or his old bandmates in the eye, and he was no longer worthy of their respect. He had become Saurus Finn's pet, willing to do and let anything be done to him, to keep himself from suffering the cold and getting beaten up again. A disabled slave and totally dependent on his new Master.

When Saurus finally left, turning off the light and plunging him back into darkness, with these thoughts in his head and a burning feeling of helplessness, Guy curled up under his blanket and cried.

***

Raoul entered Jupiter's tower and, without stopping to speak to anyone, walked to the elevator that would take him to the Creator's Dome. However, before the cabin reached the ground floor, he was intercepted by the Captain of the guards accompanied by two other minor androids.

"Can I help you, Lord Am?" Saurus asked with firm courtesy.

"I need to confer with Jupiter, it is a matter of the utmost urgency," the Blondie replied unsteadily. He hadn't met the captain since his interrogation a few months earlier, but he tried not to give away how uncomfortable his presence made him feel.

"I'm sorry, but without an official summon, I can't let you through. Please submit a formal request for admission and return when you have been granted permission, Lord Am," the officer objected.

"What kind of nonsense is this? Since when do I need a formal authorization to meet the Creator? I said it's a matter of utmost urgency, let me pass immediately!" Raoul was starting to get nervous.

"You no longer live in Eos, Lord Am, nor in Tanagura. Direct conferrals with the Creator are reserved for Elites still residing in the tower. Outsiders will have to make a formal request and wait their turn. There is a regular waiting list."

Raoul narrowed his gaze pervaded with anger. "Let me pass! Let Jupiter itself decide whether or not to accept my request!"

Nudging the Guards, he tried to gain access to the elevator car which, in the meantime, had already reached the floor but Saurus stood in front of him impassively.

"I'm sorry, Lord Am, no exceptions are allowed. Come back when your request for an audience has been formally accepted."

Meanwhile four other guards intervened, surrounding the Blondie. Raoul assessed the situation. He could have overcome the Onyx in a physical confrontation alone or three guards at a time but not all at once. With his teeth clenched and his face twisted in anger he tried to resolve that situation diplomatically.

"Mister Finn, I must insist. As I have already mentioned, this is an emergency matter and I cannot wait for the formal procedure of a summons to be executed."

"In that case I suggest you hurry up and make your request, Lord Am," replied the Onyx with a mocking smile on his face. "Now, I must ask you to leave this tower. Will you do so of your own free will, or must I have the guards escort you to the door?"

With a snarl, Raoul turned 180 degrees twirling his cloak and walked out the front door of Jupiter's tower.

***

As planned, the Bison gathered that evening to report on the results of their investigation in Neal Darts.

"Norris, Maxi you start. Did you have any problems?" The leader asked, slipping his helmet off his head.

"Nothing we weren't expecting, Riki, we had to break a couple of noses but eventually managed to loosen a few tongues. We didn't get any useful information though, they didn't know anything about Guy," Norris explained.

"Phew, it was the same for me and Luke," Riki admitted regretfully. "Anyone else? Creek, where is your partner?"

"He ran off to work, Riki, he's a waiter at Depravities. But he assured me he'd be ready in the morning at the appointed time."

"Okay. How'd it go?"

"Unfortunately, none of the people we interviewed knew anything about Guy, we did, however, find out about a strange event that took place a few weeks ago: it seems that someone from Tanagura bought a small building in the dark quarters, paid in cash and without negotiating the price."

"You're right Creek, that's very strange. No one would buy at full price in Neal Darts. Least of all a Tanagurian, unless he had something extremely shady to hide. It may have nothing to do with Guy's disappearance, but it's a lead. Well done!"

Creek smiled. He was glad to receive words of appreciation from Riki. He and Mike had put a lot of effort into their first mission as members of the Bison.

"Do you know where that building is?"

"Yes. We didn't have time to go there but we know the location."

"You don't have to go there," Riki pointed out. "Our job is only to investigate, no personal initiatives or rash moves. Sid, Aylin do you have anything to add?"

"Actually yes Riki," the girl spoke up. "It has come to our attention that in the last few days a Tanagurian-made car with tinted windows has regularly entered, at approximately the same time in the morning, from the north entrance, and turned back after about 2-3 hours. No one knows who it belongs to, or what that person does in Neal Darts, but some are said to have died trying to rob him. One survivor said he is tall, powerful and strong enough to crush bones with one hand, and that he has long dark hair."

"Mmmmh..." Riki took a few minutes to think. "It could be an Elite. An Onyx, a Sapphire or a Jade, they are the ones with the darker hair. Plus it could be the same one who bought the building Creek was talking about. Great work guys!!! We'll look into these leads more tomorrow. If none of you have anything to add, we can retire for the night. See you tomorrow at the same time. Don't get drunk, I need you sharp!"

With nothing more to say, the mongrels as well as Creek and Aylin said their goodbyes and each headed for their homes. Riki picked up the communicator and dialed Iason's number.

\- Riki! Are you okay? - The Blondie exclaimed.

\- Of course I am! I told you I wouldn't get in trouble. We have a couple of leads to follow, but we're not sure yet if they have anything to do with Guy's disappearance. -

\- All right, Riki. Make sure you don't overdo it. Any action beyond mere investigation, you will call me immediately! -

\- Yes, don't worry. I promised you. You don't have to say it every time we talk. How's Raoul? -

\- Concerned, bordering on hysteria. Today he went to Jupiter for an audience and was rejected. I will stay with him tonight. -

\- Okay, I will go to our house instead ... -

Iason hesitated a few seconds before speaking.

\- Riki, is everything okay between us? I feel that you are distant. We didn't have a chance to talk about what happened to you the other night, when you came home late and looked so upset. -

Riki sighed. Daryl. Kirie. There was still that matter to resolve. - We'll talk about it when we find Guy ... -

\- Riki, you're making me worry, - the Blondie confessed.

\- I'm sorry ... - Enough, he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Not with Guy in danger. - Talk to you tomorrow. Good night Iason! -

\- .... goodnight... Riki ... -


End file.
